Timing
by WildClover27
Summary: There are all different kinds of timing, some good, some not so good, some worse.
1. Chapter 1

21. Timing

Part 1

Chief kept his post at the window, two of the others watching him intently. As soon as he saw the last glimpse of the Warden's jeep disappear down the road toward Brandonshire, he snapped his fingers. Casino and Goniff were on their feet in an instant. The three moved as silently as they would on a mission and let themselves out the front door.

Actor remained in his chair, not willing to be a partner in this particular escapade. He knew the plan was to push the Packard down the drive to a spot where the engine could be started outside the hearing of the mansion. It was another ten minutes before Terry emerged from the kitchen with a basket of neatly ironed and folded clothes. The con man watched her stop short at the almost empty common room. She appeared to listen and sent a frown his way.

"Where are they?" she asked.

"I believe Casino had an errand to run," said the Italian with a total lack of concern.

"He left?" asked Terry in astonishment.

"Yes," replied Actor, opening the latest edition of Stars and Stripes.

"Goniff and Chief went with him?" Terry was dumbfounded. Craig had not even been gone a half hour and the men had taken off.

"Yes," replied Actor.

Terry set the basket on the floor and her hands went to her hips. "Where did they go?"

Actor was still seemingly unconcerned. "I am not aware of the exact location."

"But you knew they were going and you just let them go?" Terry stared at the con man in disbelief.

Actor lowered the newspaper until his eyes appeared above it. "Teresa, I am not their keeper."

"No, I am! And you're not helping."

The newspaper rose up to cover the grin on the Italian's face. "Teresa, just continue what you were doing. They will return in due time."

He missed the infuriated look on her face.

"And how come you didn't go with them?" she asked sarcastically.

"Because some of their activities lack style and finesse," he intoned calmly. "Could you please be sure to hang my dress pants separately from the others? When they are placed too closely together they tend to wrinkle." He did not see the balled up pair of socks that was almost lobbed at him. He did hear her stomp up the stairs with her basket, muttering what he was sure were obscenities in several different languages. His grin grew wider.

It was an hour and half before the Packard returned. Terry was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her wayward wards to come in. The door opened to laughter. Goniff bounced in first followed by Casino, who was carrying a large box with a burlap cover over it. Chief brought up the rear, closing the door behind them.

Casino looked up at Terry's pinched mouth countenance. "Hi, Babe."

"Casino . . . " Terry started.

Her tirade was stopped before it could get a good start by sounds coming from the box. Her head tilted and she stared at it, not sure she was hearing what she thought she was hearing. Cautiously, she stepped forward and drew back a corner of the burlap to look inside. Her face broke into a wide smile.

"Chickies!"

Actor gave her a dubious look at that word. Undignified is what it most certainly was.

Casino grinned at her. "You got a nice chicken coop and nothin' in it. Ma always got her chicks around this time of year."

"Where'd you get them?" asked Terry in delight.

"A dame I know," replied Casino off-handedly.

Terry looked up at him, "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothin'." At her confused look he grinned more. "She took it out in trade."

Terry stared at him. The thought of the safecracker trading sexual favors for baby chickens caused her to sputter with laughter. "Only you . . ." She hooked a finger at him. "Come on, let's put them by the stove. They need to be kept warm."

"You are not planning on keeping those creatures in the kitchen where you prepare food are you?" asked Actor in disgust.

"I am," said Terry with a grin at the fastidious con man's distaste. "Have you ever even seen a baby chick?"

She lifted a little yellow fuzzball out of the box and held it out to the elegant confidence man, who eyed it with a look of disdain.

"Of course I have," said Actor, giving her an indignant look. "What do you take me for?"

"A city kid," shot back Terry in a teasing tone.

"Naw," said Casino, joining in. "Beautiful was never a kid."

"I know," replied Terry before the Italian could answer. "You're probably right, but I try to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Actor raised his back edition of the three-penny Daily Worker, deciding not to dignify Terry and Casino by engaging in word play with them.

"I don't suppose you brought feed with you?" Terry said to Casino while placing the chick carefully back in the box with its mates.

"Wadda yuh take me for?" he parroted Actor. ""Course I brought feed."

Casino glanced with a smirky grin at the con man, who was glaring at him over the top of his newspaper.

GGGGG

Garrison returned from London just in time to sit down to dinner. As his seat was close to the entrance to the kitchen, he could hear the cheeping of the chicks whenever Terry opened the door.

"Where'd you get chicks?" he asked his sister in idle curiosity.

Terry looked up at Casino's smirky grin. "You really don't want to know," she told her brother, eliciting chuckles from three of the men.

"Lieutenant," started Actor again. "I must object. Teresa is keeping those farm creatures in the kitchen where she prepares our food."

Craig looked up with raised eyebrows in surprise at the man's objections. It was a common occurrence at the ranch as it apparently was for the other three cons.

"City kid," repeated Casino from the earlier conversation.

"Casino!" Actor reacted strongly.

"Gentlemen," intoned Terry warningly. "No fighting at the table. Wait until after we are finished eating and take it outside."

Garrison tried to defuse the situation. "Actor, it's perfectly fine. By the time they get big enough to get out of their box, it will be warm enough to put them out in the coop."

"Hey, Warden," said Chief, trying to help defuse the interactions at the table and curious besides. "You came in with a briefcase. We got a mission?"

"Yes, we do," replied Craig, taking a bite of potato. When he was done chewing, he continued. "We go tomorrow night."

"All of us?" asked Terry.

"Not you."

"Good, I can stay here and take care of my chickies and maybe get a start on the garden," said Terry with satisfaction. "Cinder mailed me a box of seed. It should get here soon."

"Great," said Garrison. "That should help with the food situation."

"Yeah," replied Terry. "Fresh vegetables, eggs, an occasional chicken. A dairy cow would be nice," she broached jokingly.

"Don't push it."

The chicks decided to chirp to that, bringing a snort from Actor. Terry, sitting beside him, brought her napkin up to wipe the grin off her face so as not to further irritate the fastidious con man.

The rest of the meal was uneventful. Terry did the dishes while Craig briefed the men. The next evening, after an early supper, they were gone.

GGGGG

Terry spent the next two days working the soil in the vegetable garden. She had the rows in and the pathways mulched, ready for the eagerly awaited package of seeds from Montana. After taking care that her small fuzzy charges were safe, warm and secure, she went into Brandonshire and tended bar. It was there she had guarded, quiet conversations with Shiv about Jaguar and added some input to improve the mechanics of the small underground.

It was on the morning of the third day after Garrison and the men had departed Terry heard the horn coming up the driveway. She sprinted to the door and down the outside steps to meet the Packard as it pulled to a stop. Craig and Casino got out of the front seat. Casino went to open the back door as Garrison came around the front of the car. No one else was getting out.

Craig and Casino helped Chief out of the back seat. There was blood on his pants and he could not bear much weight on his right leg. The older men each wrapped one of Chief's arms around their necks and stood him up.

"He caught one in the hip," said Craig.

"Did Actor fix it?" asked Terry.

"No," replied her brother.

When Casino kicked the car door shut with his foot, Terry realized Goniff and Actor were indeed not with them. "Craig . . .?"

Garrison heard the fear in her voice and looked at her wide eyes. "Don't get in an uproar. It's all right."

"In case you haven't noticed, you're short two people."

They started up the steps. Garrison explained as they went. "Actor and Goniff got separated from us. I've been in contact with Actor. They're all right. Sub's going to pick them up tomorrow."

"If you saw them, then why didn't they come out with you?"

"I didn't see them. It was telegraph."

"So how do you know it was them?" demanded Terry, scooting ahead to get the front door.

Casino gave her an exasperated look. "Who else besides you would send 'love and kisses'?"

Terry shrugged. Even Chief tried to grin through a grimace. Terry focused on the Indian. "Tell me the bullet's out."

"It's still in there," said Chief.

"Great, Shiv's not around," moaned Terry. He had gone on another of his little ventures after the bar had closed the previous night.

"We'll get it out," said Craig. He and Casino lifted the younger man between them to get up the second set of stairs to the bedrooms.

"Get him situated where I can work with it and I'll get the supplies," said Terry.

By the time she got to his room with her arms fully loaded, they had Chief on the bed with just the wound uncovered. Terry looked closely at it. The covering clot had dislodged and it was oozing blood. At least there was no pus. She glanced at Chief and he looked away. Frowning, Terry felt around the wound as gently as possible, determining the exact location and depth of the slug.

"Sorry," she apologized, "I know I'm hurting you."

"'S okay," said the young man quietly.

Terry glanced at him again. He had stiffened and she didn't think it was just from the pain of what she had been doing. He glanced up at her concerned expression, forced himself to relax, and gave her a nod.

"Warden?" said Chief quietly.

"Yeah, Chief," replied Garrison.

"If you want, you can walk her through doin' it," offered the Indian. "She's gonna hafta learn."

Terry shot him a sharp glance. "I don't think so," she objected.

"He's right, Babe," said Casino. "You're gonna hafta learn sometime. Might as well be now."

Terry wasn't happy with that idea, but the no-nonsense look on her brother's face told her she would be doing it.

A half hour later, Terry dropped the slug into a basin with a clink and set about stitching up the wound. "I've got it from here," she said. "Why don't you two go get something to eat or drink and go to bed? I'll finish up here and get him cleaned up."

Craig and Casino left without any further encouragement. Terry sat down and began stitching. Chief watched her silently.

"Thank you," he said.

"Your welcome, I guess," said Terry. "I hate inflicting pain on you guys."

"Ain't your fault," said the Indian. "Krauts are the ones cause the damage in the first place."

Terry started washing dried blood off his hip and down his leg. She felt the tenseness in him. Casually she said, "I'm done hurting you. And I'm not going to do anything bad to you."

"I know," he admitted. He couldn't explain to her that he wasn't comfortable being touched . . . and especially not why. There were things that sometimes happened in stir that were too degrading and embarrassing to talk to Terry about. He did not want to take the chance of losing the woman's friendship and respect. There was also the possibility Terry would talk to Christine about it. His relationship with the younger sister was too fragile and tenuous right now. He most certainly did not want to lose Crystal's respect and friendship.

Terry dried his skin and pulled the covers over him. "Rainey?" she broached with the same casual voice. "Between you and me, how old are you?"

The dark eyes watched her warily now. "Twenty-six."

"Horsefeathers," she replied softly. "You're not older than me."

"Twenty-six," he repeated defiantly.

Terry paused and gave him a steady look.

"Twenty-two," he admitted just barely above a whisper.

"And you were in prison six years before Craig got you out?"

He nodded.

"Mother of God," breathed Terry. "You had no business being in an adult prison."

Chief shrugged. "Don't matter none. I'm just a dirty filthy injun."

"No, you're not," said Terry firmly. "I don't want to hear you talking like that. We went through that same nonsense when we adopted Monty. Chief, you are a brave man and an honorable one. The things you are doing in this war are helping people who need it and can't help themselves. You are a good person, Rainey Sands, and you deserve to be treated with respect. And don't you forget that!"

"Yes, Ma'am,' said Chief.

"And don't ma'am me either." She smiled to soften the words. "How am I going to be 'Little Sister' if I'm older than you?"

"Nobody else knows," said Chief, "except Chris."

"True," said Terry.

She stood up and put the supplies away. Coming back by the bed, she looked down at him. The wariness wasn't as evident. She decided to push it a little. "All right if I touch you?"

He watched her, but slowly nodded.

With a crooked grin, she reached a hand down and brushed his hair back. "Take a rest. I'll bring you up something to eat."

The next day, Craig had to take the jeep to London for more debriefing. While Casino watched Chief, Terry took the Packard to Folkestone to pick up the two missing members of the group. Casino hadn't been in sight when she left, so she had grabbed his leather bomber jacket and scooted out the door. It was too big for her, but it was warm and smelled nicely of leather, tobacco, and Casino.

She waited in front of the dock as the other two men got out of the sub and started her way. Actor looked no worse for wear. Goniff was a little green around the gills. Terry met them halfway.

"You two okay?" she asked. She eyed the Cockney, "Except for a little seasickness?"

"We're fine," assured Actor. "How is Chief? Is he at the Mansion?"

"He's doing okay," said Terry. "Yeah, Craig brought him straight home."

"Was the Warden able to get the bullet out?" asked the con man with some concern.

"Nope," said Terry. At his frown she continued. "I got outvoted. I took it out."

Actor nodded his approval. Goniff was still too green to care. Terry pulled a flask out of her purse and handed it to the pickpocket.

"Wot's this?" he asked.

"Blackberry brandy," replied Terry. "Settle your stomach."

Goniff took the flask gratefully and took a pull off it. Actor looked at Terry haughtily.

"And where's mine?" he asked.

Terry cocked a sideways look at the tall man. "I didn't bring it. It wasn't sitting out in plain sight in your room and I didn't want to dig through your belongings to look for it. Besides your stomach doesn't need settling," she said. "You, Sir, will have to wait until we get to the Fox. I have to stop and pick up more libations for the Mansion."

"Would you like me to drive?" offered the con man.

"Why? Want to get there faster? I can drive faster," she teased.

"No that is quite all right. I have ridden with you driving fast," he replied teasingly.

"No sense of adventure," she mocked.

"Strong sense of self preservation," he countered.

She tossed him the keys. Goniff proceeded to get in the back of the car and sprawl across the seat, contentedly imbibing from the flask. Terry shook her head with a grin and got in the front with the Italian. Actor eyed Terry's apparel.

"Isn't that a bit large for you?" he asked indicating the bomber jacket.

"Yeah, but it's warmer than my jacket," said Terry.

"Does Casino know you're wearing it?" asked the con man with a twitch of a smile.

"Probably, by now." Terry shrugged it off.

Actor shook his head in amusement. He could hear Casino spouting off because his jacket was missing.

The trip back to Brandonshire was indeed shorter with the Italian driving. The three walked into the Blue Fox to find only a few customers at the tables. They chose the bar, lining up with Terry in the middle, Actor on her right and Goniff on her left. Kit looked at them sourly, still not happy having the cons in there, even if they were on their best behavior.

"Courvoisier," said Terry, nodding toward Actor. "JD for me and . . ."

"A pint of bitter," said the Cockney cockily.

Terry looked at him with a grin. "Stomach must be better," she remarked.

"Right. I'm on ruddy land now," he replied with an answering grin.

Kit pulled a pint for Goniff, set a bottle of Jack Daniels and a shot glass in front of Terry and then went into the back to get the bottle of Courvoisier Terry had hidden there for Actor. When she returned with the bottle and a balloon, Shiv was with her.

Terry waited until Actor had his glass of cognac before touching her glass to his and then Goniff's. She took a sip and fixed the tall blond man behind the bar with a sour look.

"You have wonderful timing, Jake," Terry said.

"You never had a problem with my timing before," said Jake with a sly look. He shot a quick glance at the Italian. Actor's face remained impassive, but the eyes were deadly.

"Oh, that's very funny," said Terry with disgust.

"You're timings going to be funny too if you keep that up," Kit said to her lover.

Jake was satisfied he had gotten to the con man. "Okay, what's wrong with my timing?" he asked Terry seriously.

"I had to dig a bullet out of Chief," replied Terry.

"Good. You know, I'm not their personal physician," Shiv said.

"No," agreed Terry. She turned her gaze toward Actor. "He is, but he wasn't here."

Actor took a sip of his drink, with no change in his expression. Touché, he thought. "I am sure you did a fine job," he said to Terry.

Shiv turned back to Actor. "So where did you study medicine?" he asked, expecting some little school in the backwaters of Italy.

"La Sapienza," replied Actor with nonchalance.

Terry turned her head to stare at the Italian. "The University of Rome? Are you kidding? You've got to be the best . . ." she cut herself off to prevent further conflict. If Actor had taken his training at La Sapienza then he had to make Jake look like a piker as a surgeon.

Actor said nothing, just looking at her with a slight bit of arrogance as the realization dawned on her.

"Couldn't cut it, huh?" smirked Jake. "You didn't finish."

"Jake, quit being an ass!" said Terry heatedly.

"My reasons for not finishing are not your affair," said Actor casually.

"You tell 'im, Mate," said Goniff tipsily. Four pair of eyes turned to the grinning pickpocket.

"How much has he had to drink?" asked Kit, knowing she had only given him a pint.

Terry reached behind Goniff and plucked the flask from his back pocket. It was much lighter than when she had given it to him. She held the flask up.

"Oh about that much brandy before the bitter." Terry turned to Actor. "Make sure you still have the car keys."

Actor could feel them in his right front pants pocket. He nodded to Teresa with a crooked grin.

"I am perfectly fine, Love" said Goniff with a wide grin.

"Of course you are, Mate," replied Terry with a grin of her own. Craig wasn't going to be happy she had gotten the Englishman drunk. Oh well. She turned back to Shiv. "Well, seeing as you're in such a snotty mood, Jake, why don't you put my box of booze in the trunk of the Packard?"

Jake was about to object until he saw the glint in Terry's eyes. He knew that meant not to cross her. "Sure, why not," he said magnanimously.

While Shiv was loading the mansion's libations, Terry paid for them and the drinks the three had just imbibed. As the three were leaving the bar, Actor spoke to Terry, a hand possessively resting on her back. "Thank you, Cara." It might have been coincidence that he uttered those words right after passing Jake, though it couldn't be discerned by his countenance.

"You're very welcome, Caro," Terry replied.

Actor drove them the rest of the way to the Mansion. He carried the box of liquor into the house and set it on the dining room table before going upstairs to check on Chief. Goniff headed straight for his room and Terry began putting away the bottles.

Several hours later, Craig returned and tossed his hat onto the coat tree in his office. He hung his jacket up and rolled the sleeves up on his shirt. As he sat in his chair behind the desk, Terry entered with a cup of coffee for him.

"They back?" he asked, accepting the coffee with appreciation.

Terry nodded. "They're upstairs sleeping."

"They okay?"

"They're fine." Terry neglected to mention Goniff's inebriated state.

"How's Chief?" asked Craig with a tinge of concern.

"He'd fine. He's resting. Wound looks good."

Garrison frowned. "Where's Casino?"

"He's out back," grinned Terry, "fixing me some trellises for the beans and peas."

"You've got him wrapped around your little finger, don't you?" Craig shook his head in wonder at his bristly safecracker.

"He's being useful," replied the girl with a smile. "You want anything else to eat or drink?"

Garrison shook his head and pulled some paperwork out of his in box.

"No mission?" Terry asked hopefully.

"Not tonight," replied Craig, already distracted. "I have a meeting with Hammond in Schaeffer's office tomorrow morning."

"Figures." Terry left him to his work.

Later that afternoon, Actor and Goniff were up and partaking of some sandwiches at the dining room table. Casino had finished his outdoor work and washed up to join them. Terry left them alone and went upstairs to check on Chief.

He smiled at her entrance, but there was something wary about him. He moved under the covers to slip his shorts down so Terry could check the dressing. She carefully eased the covers back just enough to inspect the gauze. It was clean and dry, but a piece of the tape was curling up. She smoothed it back down with a finger, startled as he tensed and shifted away.

"Sorry," she said contritely. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," he replied avoiding her eyes. "'S okay."

Terry replaced the covers and smiled to cover her concern. "Can I get you anything?" she asked.

Chief smiled at her as though nothing had happened. "No, I'm fine. Thanks."

Terry headed for the door. "Well, if you need anything, holler. I'll be back later."

"Thanks."

Moving thoughtfully downstairs, Terry glanced over her shoulder before walking into the Warden's office, turning to shut the door quietly behind her. Hesitantly she sat down on the corner of Craig's desk and looked at her brother with curiosity.

He glanced up from his paperwork. "Okay, what do you want to know about them?" he asked, leaning back in his chair. He was getting to know that look.

"What's with Chief?" she asked. "I have to be very careful if I take care of a wound on him. He doesn't like me touching him. Is it something I did? Did I offend him in some way?"

"No," said Craig. "It isn't you." He had hoped he would not have to have this conversation with her, but she was observant and she cared about the guys, so it was inevitable it would come up. "I don't know for sure, but I have my suspicions. I don't ask and he doesn't tell me."

"Tell you what?" Terry frowned.

"How much do you know about prison life?"

Terry shrugged. "They are in cells, usually with another prisoner. Except Actor. He always talked his way into a private cell."

Craig grinned. "You've been talking to Actor?"

"I always talk to Actor. Sometimes he actually answers me. Depends."

"Okay, what else?"

"They mostly are kept in their cells. They're let out into a yard for exercise once a day and meals three times a day. If they act up, they are put in solitary."

To give himself time to work out how to answer the girl, Craig took a cigarette out of the packet on his desk and lit it. He inhaled deeply and let it out in a long sigh. "There is a hierarchy. Basically the strong over the weak and the young. Some of those men have spent their entire lives in prison. Men have needs." He paused.

"Like Actor chasing women?" inserted Terry.

"Yeah, something like that." He hesitated. "There are some men who aren't too particular about where they take care of those needs," he finished diplomatically.

Terry was starting to get the picture and her eyes widened. "You mean like men and – uh . . ."

Craig nodded. "If there are weak or young ones that can be subdued . . ."

"Oh my God," breathed Terry. "And you think Chief . . .?"

Craig shrugged. "I don't know for sure. I think Chief is younger than he says he is. It's a possibility. And it would explain his loner attitude and the touching thing. If you've noticed, he doesn't even like anyone to stand close to him – he moves away. It's as though he needs the space around him to protect himself."

Terry was trying to grasp this. She gestured toward the common room. "And they all know this goes on?"

"Of course."

"Do they all . . .?" She couldn't say it.

"No," said Craig adamantly. "I would guarantee that none of those four would do that. And two of them I know for sure would not be on the receiving end."

The color drained from Terry's face. Ashen, she stood up, turned and went out the door. Craig got up and hurried after her. She could not look at the cons as they chatted over lunch at the dining room table. Instead she focused on the outside door.

"Terry! Where are you going?" asked Craig with worry.

The girl stopped and did not turn. "I need to go for a walk."

"I'm sorry," said her brother. "I shouldn't have told you."

"No, Craig, you did right. I need to know these things if I'm going to be here. It's just right this second I can't . . . I need to go for a walk."

Casino came out from the kitchen with a refilled mug of coffee. He had heard the two talking as had the others, but couldn't make out what they were discussing. His entrance caught the girl's attention and for a brief moment, Terry's eyes met his before she quickly looked away. Casino wasn't sure what he had seen in her eyes, but he didn't like it. It worried him. He watched her go outside and shut the door.

Casino turned to Garrison. "What rattled her cage?"

Craig rubbed the back of his head as he did when he was frustrated or upset. "Something came up in conversation," he said. "We just had a little talk about prison."

"What about prison?" asked Casino with suspicion.

Not answering, Craig turned and went back in his office, shutting the door quietly behind him. Casino and the other two men exchanged worried looks. Goniff got up and looked out the window.

"She's 'eaded down the running path," he observed softly.

Casino and Actor exchanged looks. "I'll do it," mouthed Casino setting his mug on the table next to the door before letting himself outside.

Terry was striding down the path, hands in pockets, head down, shoulders slumped. She glanced sideways, but not up as Casino caught up to her at a run.

"Hey, Lady, slow it down. This ain't the Boston Marathon, yuh know."

Terry slowed down, but did not stop. Casino kept pace beside her.

"Babe, you want to know something about prison, just ask."

"I can't," she replied, distressed. "I can't ask something like that."

Casino stopped and grasped her arm, pulling her to a stop. "Terry, what did the Warden tell you that got you so spooked?"

Terry was frowning and still could not look him in the eyes. "Uh, hierarchy. And certain practices . . ."

Casino sucked on a cheek. "You mean like sex?"

Terry nodded. "I asked something and opened up a can of worms. I just did not have any concept . . ."

"Babe, you're not expected to know anything about that. It ain't like you sit at home wondering what goes on behind prison walls. What exactly did you want to know?"

"It wasn't anything specific," Terry hedged. "I'm just trying to understand you guys better."

"You want to understand us?" asked Casino skeptically.

"Why not? I live with you. I don't know why you do some of the things you do. I know my life has been pretty cushy compared to all of yours. You've had bad things happen in your lives or you wouldn't have been doing the things you were sent to prison for doing and prison is obviously no cakewalk."

Casino gave a laugh. "Got that right."

Terry looked at him now. "But you all know what goes on there?"

Casino nodded.

"And you don't stop it?"

"Honey," said Casino patiently, "you got to pick your battles."

"What about the guards? Don't they try to stop it?"

"You heard us talk," said Casino. "What do we call the guards?"

"Screws." The implication sunk in. "Them too?"

"Them too." Terry turned away and started walking again, only much slower. Casino kept in step beside her. She reached her hand out and slipped it inside his elbow to rest on his forearm. Casino continued. "It ain't everybody. There's always gonna be some jerk or bully who has to lord it over all the rest."

"Kind of like a Wheeler?"

Casino bobbed his head. "Yeah. I wouldn't be going and asking Actor that question about Alcatraz. But I bet his answer would be that Wheeler was one of them."

"I can't see something like that happening to you or Actor for that matter."

"It's tried on all of us, every time we get sent to a new prison. Mainly it's that hierarchy thing the Warden was tellin' you about. Me, I didn't put up with that crap. I usually spent the first two weeks in solitary and the other guy spent it in the hospital." Casino took his hand out of his pocket and laced his fingers with Terry's. She didn't pull away. "Now Actor, he just plain intimidates 'em. Besides, you ever seen him fight?"

"Actor?" questioned Terry in disbelief. "I didn't think he'd dirty his hands?"

Casino laughed. "You back Beautiful into a corner or make him real mad and he can fight as down and dirty as Garrison. You know your brother fights dirty, don't yuh?"

"Of course I know Craig fights dirty," shot back Terry indignantly. "Who do you think taught me?"

Casino chuckled, "Babe, you don't know how to fight."

"Wanna make a bet?" retorted Terry. She sobered. "What about the other two?"

Casino quit laughing. "Chief was awful young when he got sent up. I don't know. And that ain't somethin' you ask," he added sternly. "But if he was to go back to prison now, nobody would touch that Injun."

"What about Goniff?" asked Terry. "He can't fight his way out of a paper bag."

"Goniff is a survivor. He hooks himself up with some bigger, tougher guy and stays out of trouble."

"That how you two paired up?" asked Terry curiously.

"Started out that way," admitted Casino. "Goniff got behind me for protection against Wheeler. Then we just got to be friends." They continued to stroll down the dirt path. "Hey, Babe, are we gonna have to walk the whole mile?"

Terry stopped and grinned. "No, we can go back."

Casino wasn't sure why, but he held an arm out in offering. Terry looked at him. She wasn't sure why, but she slipped her arms around him and they hugged. "You know something, Lady? You're okay. Anybody else would have gone runnin' and screamin' by now. You just stay with us."

"Glutton for punishment," she tried to tease.

Casino took a step back and cupped her chin in his hand to look at her. In a serious tone, he said, "You know, you don't ever have to be afraid of us. We ain't gonna hurt yuh."

"I know that," said Terry. "At some time or another, every one of you has told me that. I believe you."

She reached for his hand again and they started back the way they had come. When they got close to the drive, Casino pulled his hand back.

"Don't go ruinin' my reputation now," he warned not for the first time.

"I know. We wouldn't want anybody to think you can actually be nice." Terry grinned impishly.

Back inside, Goniff and Actor had picked up their dirty dishes and put them in the kitchen sink before going into the common room. Terry went to the kitchen with the intent of going out the back to inspect Casino's handiwork. The safecracker stopped in front of Garrison's office and waited. Craig looked up and watched him as did the two other men.

At the sound of the back door shutting, Craig asked, "Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah," nodded Casino.

"Is she all right?" asked Actor.

"I dunno," replied the safecracker. "I don't know what you said to her," he spoke to Garrison. Then he turned to Actor. "An' I don't know how you woulda handled it, but I just told her the facts of life."

"And?" Actor prompted.

Casino shrugged. "I think she's still chewin' on it."

Craig shook his head, frustrated at not knowing how to help in the situation.

"Hey," said Goniff brightly. "At least she didn't run."

"There is that to be thankful for," said the Italian.

Terry didn't run, but she continued to 'chew on it.' By the time she returned to the house, she had her unconcerned countenance firmly in place. It did not fool any of the men downstairs, but none of them knew how to make it any easier for the girl. By the time the evening was over and she had climbed the stairs to her room for the night, Terry thought she had things carefully compartmentalized.

The nightmare started in the dead of night. It was a mix this time of Jaeger assaulting her and Chief standing by watching and unable to do anything. Terry woke up, not with a scream, but with a whimper. Sitting up in bed cloaked in darkness, arms wrapped around her legs, she tried to shake off the residual tremors of the nightmare. Finally she got up and put a robe on, slipping her feet into slippers.

Terry made her way quietly down the stairs and went into the kitchen, welcoming the overhead light. She added wood to the stove and automatically checked on the chicks. Going to the sink to wash her hands, she left the water running and stared at it, hands gripping the edge of the sink.

Jaeger, hands touching her, abusing her flesh and her mind. The sense of powerlessness washed over her again. She was in her twenties. Chief had been in his teens, if it indeed had happened to him also. How that young boy must have felt to be degraded and abused like that . . . Terry had never been told outright, but she had heard enough to understand that Jaeger's body had been disposed of with some of his parts not in their proper anatomical locations. Was that Chief reacting to what had been done to her, or seeking vengeance for what had been done to both of them?

A hairy arm reached in front of her to shut the tap off. Terry jumped, startled because she had not heard his approach. A hand clamped over her mouth to stifle a scream. She looked up into the warm brown eyes of Casino. With recognition came the slump of her body in relief and the removal of his hand.

"Sorry," apologized Terry. "I didn't hear you. My mind was somewhere else."

"Yeah, I know," acknowledged the safecracker. "I didn't figure you'd get much sleep. I was kinda listening out for you." His first instinct was to hug the woman tightly too him, but he restrained himself to just lightly touching her elbow. "Grab a seat. I'll make us some hot chocolate. Ma used to do that whenever us kids had nightmares and couldn't sleep."

Grateful for the company, Terry took a seat in the chair Casino held out for her. "So you figured I wasn't going to handle this well?" she said ruefully.

"Terry," replied the man, getting milk out of the refrigerator, "somebody who ain't never been in our shoes ain't gonna know how to handle it."

Terry nodded in agreement. She had to talk and Casino seemed to be there to listen. "It wasn't what that man was doing to me so much as the feeling of being totally helpless. It turns into a kind of blinding fear. I can't begin to imagine what it was like for Chief if that happened to him."

Casino set a pan of milk on the hob to heat up and dug through the cupboards for the cocoa and a bit of sugar. "Even if he managed not to let it happen, it's a safe bet he had the crap beat outta him . . . a lot."

Terry pulled a face of frustration. "Okay, Casino, let's not stretch this out over the next couple years. I already have nightmares, so let's go for the whole thing. Tell me about life in stir."

The safecracker turned to look at her over his shoulder. "You really wanna hear this?" he tried to give her an out.

"I really want to hear this."

Casino sighed. It was going to be another long night. "Okay, in a minute." He left the stove and disappeared toward the common room. A minute later he was back with a bottle. Mixing up the cocoa and pouring it into mugs, he took the top off the liquor bottle and poured a healthy measure of rum into each mug. He watched Terry's eyebrow go up as he pushed a mug in front of her. Casino set the rum bottle between them on the table and sat down facing her.

"So what's it like living in a cell?" Terry asked without preamble.

"Cramped, uncomfortable, and no privacy," Casino listed off the worst of it. "You got a tiny area with block walls on three sides and bars across the fourth. Your beds are a couple metal racks hangin' off one wall. You got a skinny mattress and a blanket and if you're lucky a postage stamp for a pillow. There's a sink on the end wall and a toilet, no lid or seat, all out in the open. There's two to a cell and if you don't get along with your cellmate, it makes life real tough. You get taken to a shower once a week. Big open area, ten guys at a time. That's where a lot of the rapes take place."

"Don't the guards do anything?" questioned Terry.

"Naw. They don't wanna get wet or hit, so they just stay outside and watch."

Terry sipped her cocoa with a frown. She reached for the rum bottle and poured an extra splash in her mug before doing the same to Casino's.

"Okay," she continued. "Actor said he was always in a cell by himself. That a con?"

"Probably not," replied Casino. "Actor had money. He knew how to bribe and con the guards and the wardens. 'Course I don't think he had it that easy on the Rock. Rock's a hard place."

"Why would he be put on the Rock?" asked Terry curiously. She had been hesitant to ask that of the con man. "I thought Alcatraz was for the really bad ones like axe murderers and such."

Casino chuckled at that assessment. "It was the only place they figured they could keep him. He escaped more times than I did. A lot more."

"Escaped?" That caught Terry's attention. "He broke out of prison?"

"Yeah," grinned Casino. "Like I said, he had the dough. There's always somebody inside on the take. He just kept bribin' his way out. They put him on the Rock figurin' if he did bribe his way outta the cell, he'd never get off the island. It's a long swim to Frisco and the water's cold and full of sharks. It musta worked. He was there the longest."

"And you escaped too?" asked Terry in interest.

"Twice," boasted the safecracker. "Bribed a guard the second time."

"And the first time?"

Casino laughed, shaking his head. "That was a little place outside a Chicago. My kid brother, Gino, showed up with a chocolate cake believe it or not. For some reason those stupid screws never checked it. There was a hacksaw blade in it."

"You're joking," chortled Terry.

Casino shook his head. "Took me a coupla days to cut through the bars on the window in the back o' the cell."

"So the handiwork in the window of the upstairs common room is yours?" asked Terry.

"Yeah," replied Casino proudly. The cocoa was gone from their mugs, so he poured a goodly amount of rum into both.

"What's the worst part of being in prison?" asked Terry taking a good drink of straight rum.

"Bein' confined," said Casino with certainty. He took a drink from his mug. "I can take it, but I don't like it. You never been in a cell with all of us."

"No," said Terry. "Tell me."

"Goniff, he goes quiet and then chatters. Chief paces. You just stay outta his way. Now Actor hides it, but he just sits down and acts like everything's okay. You gotta watch him. He gets real tense."

"What about Craig?" asked Terry, taking another drink.

Casino shook his head. "Warden's too busy trying to figure a way out."

Terry went back to weightier issues. "So I figure prison isn't a real safe place. . ."

"No," replied Casino. "There are gangs there too. So there's gang fights and knifings."

"Knives in prison?" asked Terry with a frown.

"Lady, you can make a knife outta anything. Toilet paper even, if yuh got any."

Now he was pulling her leg. "Toilet paper huh? Sure, Casino."

"It can be done," he assured her. "If the other cons ain't getting' you, the screws are."

Terry shook her head. "No wonder you guys took Craig up on his offer of this group instead of staying in there."

"Yeah, well, I figured if I done something good it would make my folks proud."

Terry looked up sharply at that admission and the faint hint of emotion behind the words. She laid her hand atop his on the table. "I think your parents would be very proud of you."

Figuring he had said too much, the safecracker shrugged. "Yeah, well, you better get back to bed before somebody catches us. School's out for tonight," he said with his usual gruffness.

Terry smiled at his reversion to character. "Thanks for talking to me," she said, getting up to put the mugs and pan in the sink.

Casino capped the bottle and took it back to liquor cabinet in the common room. They went up the stairs together, being careful not to touch each other, Casino thinking he had been too open with her about his family and Terry realizing just that.

A couple hours later, Garrison was tapping at Terry's bedroom door. It was 6 am by her clock and she felt like she had not gotten any sleep, but then again, she hadn't. Terry opened the door and Craig leaned in to speak quietly. "I'm going into the meeting with Schaeffer and Hammond. I would guess I won't be back before ten."

Terry nodded. "I'm going back to bed. They won't be up for awhile yet." She smiled at her brother. "I hope it's an easy one this time."

Craig chuckled sourly. "Are they ever?"

It was actually closer to eleven by the time Craig returned, with the briefcase firmly cuffed to his wrist. Terry met him at the door with a cup of coffee. He took it gratefully, ignored the men, and motioned for her to follow him into his office. Terry looked at the guys behind Craig's back and shrugged, following him in and shutting the door. Craig set the coffee and the briefcase on his desk, getting the key from the drawer. As he unlocked the handcuff, he said, "We've got a mission . . . and we've got a problem."

"We've got a problem? Don't we always?"


	2. Chapter 2

Timing Part 2

"What kind of a problem?" asked Terry taking a seat in the chair facing Craig.

"I need Chief on this one." Craig sat and looked at her to gage her reaction and got exactly what he expected.

"Oh no," replied Terry adamantly, leaning forward to glare at him. "He needs at least a week for that wound to heal up. If he had to run away from anybody, he wouldn't make it." She frowned. "What do you need him for?"

Craig tapped out a cigarette and lit it. "They're spreading us out too thin. It's a sabotage thing in France. It has to be timed just right. Actor and I are going to be planting false information for the Germans about a planned attack by the Allies in order to get them to change their position away from where the real attack will be. Goniff has to learn from Chief how to disrupt the communication lines after the change in plans has been set, and Casino has to blow up the rail lines to slow the troop movement down and destroy some of the troop cars. There's a German general coming in who could blow the whole deal, so Chief needs to stage a car accident with him to prevent him getting to the headquarters before we get out of there. Chief's a better driver than Goniff."

Terry had been following this, but now she frowned suspiciously. "Wait a minute. Chief doesn't speak German or French. If he has a fender bender with a German general, how is he going to respond when they talk to him?"

Garrison smiled deviously. "I was going to ask you to come along, ride with Chief and handle the general. After all, you speak French and German fluently."

Terry sat back in the chair, silent, studying her brother. Yes, yes, try to keep sister out it . . . until it means the mission. Well, she was game for this one too. "So, we still do it. Only I drive the car and take on the general alone."

"You think you can manage that alone?" asked Craig, concerned over Terry going out on her own. The assault on her had happened even with Actor's backup. This time there would be no backup.

"I can do it," she said calmly.

"What about Chief staying behind?" asked Craig. "Does he need to be in a hospital so someone can take care of him?"

Terry snorted in disgust. "You know how far that would go. He's Indian. They won't take care of him unless one of us is overseeing it. No, he's better off here. I think I can get someone to stay and help Chief and keep my chicks alive." She got up and stepped toward the door, pausing before reaching for the knob. "You better talk to Actor. He's got more insight into the problems of coordinating the timing of the things we are going to be doing than I do."

"I plan to," said Craig. "Send him in."

Terry let herself out of the office and grinned at the con man. "You go talk to him. Two heads are better than one . . ." she pointed her finger on Garrison's direction, "and a half . . ." She pointed to herself.

Actor gave her a crooked grin and shook his head, rising from his chair to take her place in the Warden's office.

Terry picked up the telephone and lifted the cord over the banister so she could sit on the stairs and talk. After a bit of a wait, she got hold of Christine in London. "Hey, Sister, how would you like to babysit for the next couple days while I go on a mission?"

"Babysit what?" asked the younger girl warily.

"A dozen baby chicks in the kitchen and a Chiefy upstairs."

"Chief's hurt?" asked Chris with dismay.

"Yeah," replied Terry. "It's not bad. You just have to put a clean dressing on it every day. It's stitched. Nothing to it. Just feed and water everybody every day. We'll only be gone a couple days."

"And Craig's going to allow me to stay in the house alone with Chief?" asked Chris skeptically.

"Why not? I do it all the time."

"Yes," agreed Christine, "but you're you and I'm me."

GGGGG

"You're you and Chris is Chris!" exploded Garrison.

"What are you concerned about?" asked Terry. "You think Chief would touch a hair on her head? Chris is sharing a flat with Dirk and Tinker. I'd trust Chief over those two any day."

"Oh, that just makes me feel real good." Craig started pacing.

Actor hid a smile. "Lieutenant, we treat both of your sisters with the utmost care and respect. Christine possibly more so."

"Thanks!" exclaimed Terry.

"Now, Cara," grinned Actor, speaking in a placating tone, "I only meant that Christine is younger than you and so requires a bit more care and consideration."

Terry bristled, but with amusement. "Well, Actor, if that makes me old, it must make you antique."

Craig almost choked. Now Terry was starting a fight with the Italian? Didn't she know better than to tease him about his age?

"Not antique," replied Actor, calmly taking his pipe from his pocket, "just decidedly more mature than you."

Terry turned back to look with a raised eyebrow at the con man. He returned her gaze with a smug expression beneath twinkling eyes. Terry chuckled and walked back to him sitting in the chair. "Okay, Caro, you win that round." She slipped an arm across his chest from behind and bent down to give him a kiss on the temple which he accepted graciously.

"I always do, Cara."

Garrison shook his head and looked at the errant pair, wondering why at times he felt he no longer had the upper hand in this group.

"All right," he said trying to gain control. "Chris can stay here." He fixed Terry with a hard look. "Are you sure you can handle a German general by yourself?"

"Of course," replied Terry breezily. "I handle him don't I?" She smiled snottily at Actor.

"Actor?" asked Craig with exasperation.

"She can do it," he assured the officer, hoping he was right.

Craig turned to Terry. "Can Chris get here in time?"

"She's already on her way."

"Okay. Can you throw together something quick for supper and we can brief afterward?"

"I will get right on it, Lieutenant, Sir." She fired a salute at him and bounced out of the office.

Craig shook his head and turned to Actor who was puffing on his pipe to get it started. "Thanks for not taking offense at her."

"That's quite all right, Warden," replied the con man with a smile. "I am learning she teases out of affection, not maliciousness. And taking a page from her own book, I will . . . 'get even' . . . at some point."

Craig chuckled. He just bet the Italian would at that. Becoming serious again he questioned the con man. "How do we play her? Dress her down so he doesn't look at her twice?"

Actor shook his head, puffing to get the pipe started. "I understand your wish to protect her, but for the sake of the mission she must catch his interest otherwise he will just continue on as though the accident was of no consequence. We will have to dress her up a bit, make her seem as though she comes from a wealthy background. Perhaps she is just traveling through to visit relatives in another town."

"And what if it goes wrong? What if she gets in trouble again?" Craig was beginning to regret his decision to use Terry.

"If it goes wrong again, then we will get her out of trouble . . . again." The con man's tone was matter-of-fact, covering the turmoil in his mind. Though Teresa had insisted over and over that she did not blame him for Jaeger assaulting her, he still blamed himself.

Terry did indeed throw together a decent dinner for them. As soon as they were done eating, she drove into Brandonshire to fetch Christine from the train station, while Garrison briefed the men on the mission. By the time the two girls returned to the mansion, the men were in their rooms packing. Craig packed Terry's bag while she took Chris in to show her what needed to be done for Chief.

The girls entered the Indian's bedroom and shut the door. Chris smiled somewhat shyly at the young man. A small smile greeted her in return.

"I guess you're stuck with me for the next couple days," said Chris.

"That's good," replied Chief.

"Okay," said Terry turning to her sister. "The supplies are on the dresser. Every morning, take the old dressing off, sprinkle the wound with sulfa and tape a clean dressing over it. If it starts to look red or starts draining, give him a shot of penicillin."

"I'm sorry?" said Chris in dubious surprise. "Give him a shot?"

"Yeah," replied Terry. "You've inoculated cattle before. Same thing."

Chris and Chief both stared wide-eyed at her.

"I don't think it's really the same," said Chief hesitantly.

"How much and where do I give it?" asked Chris wishing she had asked first before agreeing to this.

"One cc in the backside. The penicillin is in the refrigerator, and there's a kit with a syringe in my medicine cabinet and one in Actor's. When you're done, take it downstairs, take it apart and boil it for twenty minutes then put it back in its case."

Chris was not at all comfortable with this. "Uh, Terry, he's not a steer. Where exactly do I – uh – shoot him?"

Terry took a deep breath to squelch her exasperation. She thought by now Chris would have had some hands on learning. Apparently not. She knew how to mainline morphine because she had done it to Craig, but obviously not how to give a regular injection. Smiling encouragingly, Terry explained how to find the proper location for the injection. "Don't worry," she said. "It won't come to that."

"I hope not," Chris and Chief said simultaneously.

"And where is this wound?" Chris was almost afraid to ask.

"Right hip."

Wonderful, thought Chris. The shot went below the belt and the wound was below the belt. Neither was in a place Christine was ready to approach on the young man she found herself more than interested in.

"You two will be just fine," assured Terry breezily. "I gotta run. See you in a couple days." She left the two younger people speechless.

GGGGG

The parachute jump went without a hitch. Terry was now seasoned enough that by the time Actor and Casino reached her, she was stuffing the wadded up silk and lines under a bramble bush. The three proceeded to track down the parachuted bags of supplies and secured them while Goniff and Garrison arrived to join them. In almost their usual formation, they set off, following Garrison's lead on the five mile hike through the countryside to the farmhouse that would be their safe house for the mission.

It was an hour before dawn when they arrived at the house. Goniff took the first watch. Garrison and Actor laid out the maps and blueprints by the light of an oil lamp. Casino set about starting a smokeless fire in the fireplace, while Terry moved into the kitchen area to see what she could find for an early breakfast. The four ended up snacking on the inevitable bread and cheese and acorn coffee.

Garrison and Actor bent over the plans and ran through every scenario they could conceive of and how to adapt to the changes if necessary. Casino and Terry slipped out the door, the safecracker disappearing down the road to make the first foray into to town to acquire two vehicles.

Terry located Goniff on watch. The Englishman was a bit surprised she did not have something for him to eat. He was even more surprised when she took the rifle from him and cradled it in the crook of her arm.

"Go get something to eat and brief with Craig," said the girl, scanning the area and the road.

"You sure, Love?" asked Goniff skeptically. "Yer going to take watch?"

"I'm sure and yes I am," replied Terry confidently.

Goniff wasn't so sure about this. The frown on his face caught her attention.

"Go," said Terry. "I'm fine."

The Cockney shrugged. "Okay, I'll be as quick as I can."

"I'm fine, Goniff," reassured Terry. "I'm Chief, remember?"

"Not 'ardly, Love," teased Goniff.

Terry grinned.

Goniff slipped into the house and stood inside the door, watching Garrison uneasily. He couldn't hardly believe the Warden had agreed to his sister taking a watch on her own. When the lieutenant looked up and fixed narrowed eyes on him, he knew he was right.

"Uh, sorry, Warden," stammered the pickpocket quickly. "She insisted she was takin' the watch. I'll just grab sum'in' to eat and go send 'er back."

To the Englishman's surprise, Garrison seemed to think about it a minute and waved a hand absently at him before turning back to his maps. "It's all right. Let her take it."

Even Actor looked up in surprise at that one.

It was a couple hours later when the sound of an engine reached Terry's ears. Giving a sharp bird's whistle, she crouched down behind some bushes, rifle trained on the dirt track leading to the house. A black German staff car slowly appeared and crept towards the house. Terry had the sights trained on the driver's seat until the vehicle angled around and she recognized Casino at the wheel. She put up the rifle and stood, stepping out of cover and walking toward the car.

Casino got out and did a double take when he spotted Terry. "What are you doin' out here?" he asked skeptically.

"I think it's called 'taking watch'," the girl replied drolly.

"By yourself?" Casino was still skeptical.

Terry's mouth pinched together. "When are you guys going to get over the notion I'm useless?"

"You're not useless, Babe," said Casino, "you're just . . ." He let the sentence wander into silence at the annoyed look on her face. "Uh, I gotta talk to the Warden and go back for the other car."

Casino took two steps back, turned and walked rapidly toward the house. The door miraculously opened a crack to let him in. Goniff had been the doorman and the Cockney just rolled his eyes at the safecracker.

"Uh, Warden, Terry's . . ." Now Casino stopped at the stony expression Garrison aimed at him. "I – uh – found a nice car for Terry. I'll just go back and get it now."

Casino tossed the key to the staff car in the general direction of Actor. The con man did a fumbled catch of it, but the safecracker had already turned around. Casino hissed at Goniff, who was peeking past the curtains into the yard.

"She still there?" he whispered.

"Naw, Mate, she's gone back in the trees," assured Goniff just as quietly.

Casino let himself out and skirted around on the opposite side of the yard. Damn that girl was gettin' prickly. He couldn't see Terry watching him, chuckling silently to herself. When he finally returned with the French Peugeot coupe, he was relieved to see Goniff was back on guard duty. He dragged himself into the house.

Terry and Actor were seated at the table, the confidence man reviewing the timing and staging of the accident, and quizzing the girl with different scenarios that could occur with the German general, gauging her responses in French and German. Casino sauntered up and dangled the keys to the coupe in front of Terry's nose.

"Don't say I never gave you nothin'," said Casino cockily.

Terry took the keys, eyebrows going up at the make of car engraved on them. She ignored Actor and got up to look out the window while the safecracker dropped into a chair and put his crossed legs up on the table.

Terry gave a long low whistle at sight of the vehicle. "Oh, it's a shame to have to wreck that car. Can't I just drive it back to England."

"I don't think it can swim the Channel," replied Casino sarcastically.

Curious, Actor walked to the window and looked out over Terry. "Casino, that car will be recognized and I am sure missed. Could you not find one a little less conspicuous?" objected the Italian.

That got Craig's attention and he joined the two at the window.

"It'll be fine," assured the safecracker. "It was sittin' out behind a barn. I had to prime the carburetor to get it to start. Only one there was some little ole lady, deaf as a post. There weren't any telephone wires so even if she does notice it's missin', she can't report it."

Garrison simply shook his head and turned back to pull a chair out, straddle it, and began going over Casino's job with the man. Casino parroted it back to the officer with his usual unconcerned tone. Satisfied, Craig rose from his chair.

"Hey, Warden," said Casino belligerently. "How come I gotta do all the walkin' this time. I mean we walked five miles to get here. I just walked ten miles to get the two cars. And now you expect me to walk another four miles to blow up those railroad tracks. Why me?"

Garrison paused and seemed to think hard on the answer. "Well, Casino," he said slowly in a serious tone. "I figured you could use the exercise."

The unexpected response brought a guffaw of laughter from the suave confidence man and a chortle from Terry.

"Funny, Warden," replied Casino sourly. "You been hangin' around your sister too much."

Garrison ignored him and walked away. As he passed his sister, Terry caught his upper arm to stop him and leaned close.

Barely above a whisper, she said, "And I thought you told me not to tease them?"

Craig looked sideways at her, a small smile on his mouth, and shrugged.

They rested for another hour and then Casino relieved Goniff on watch so the pickpocket could change into workman's clothes. After Goniff had finished, Terry went in the bedroom and changed into a traveling skirt and linen blouse. Craig then changed into a German lieutenant's uniform and made way for Actor. The fastidious con man had been in there a quite a few minutes when Terry became impatient to put her makeup on.

She tapped at the door. "Hey, Actor? Are you decent? I want to use the makeup kit."

The Italian had the white shirt on and was just stepping into the pants. Several responses came to mind at that particular phrasing of the question, but instead, he realized she had seen him in his underwear before and simply replied, "You may enter, Teresa."

Terry slipped inside just as the man was straightening and pulling the riding breeches up. The tail of the white shirt covered his rear. Too bad, thought Terry, the man had a nice _asino_. They ignored each other as Terry took a seat at the little table with the kit on it. She stole a glance at Actor and paused. Craig had told her one time that he found it fascinating watching the con man change his persona as he put on the SS uniform.

Actor tucked the tails of the shirt into the pants and buttoned the fly closed, cinching the belt up to the last notch. He then slipped his arms into the braces to hold up the pants that were at once too big in the waist and too short in the legs. Hands adjusted the collar and shoulders hitched to gain comfort. As all this was happening, the man's posture straighten even more if that was possible, and the corners of his mouth began to curve downward, the eyes taking on a hawkish expression.

Terry gave up the idea of putting on her makeup and sat back to stare, mesmerized.

Feet were shoved into shiny black riding boots that managed to cover the high watered ends of the pants and heels stomped to get seated. The sleeve cuffs were buttoned and adjusted. Actor picked the wool tunic up by the shoulders and shook it out before slipping it on. The front was buttoned and the belt secured. Each shirt cuff was carefully adjusted for length and comfort. The cross was attached at his throat and the medals straightened. In the entire process, the Italian had been replaced by a severe SS officer.

Actor glanced at Terry and frowned even more at sight of the girl sitting silently staring at him with slightly raised eyebrows. "I thought you were putting makeup on," he said accusingly. "Hurry up."

"Sorry," said Terry. "It's just . . . very interesting watching you dress."

The Italian's eyebrows rose. "Women are usually more interested in watching me undress."

"I'm sure," said Terry, sucking in a cheek and turning away to concentrate on the makeup.

Actor placed the cap on his head and picked up the riding crop before leaving the bedroom. He did not hear the softly spoken, awed, 'Scheiβe' that followed him.

When Terry left the bedroom, she looked at least ten years older than when she had entered it. Craig was impressed that she could now change her appearance without the assistance of the confidence man.

Terry approached her brother and stood closely so she could whisper to him. "You were right. His whole personality just slowly changes as he puts that uniform on. God, he's good."

"Yes, he is," Garrison had to agree. There was no denying the man was the best in the business.


	3. Chapter 3

Timing Part 3

Garrison drove the staff car toward the German headquarters compound, Goniff in the front seat beside him and Actor in the back. He stopped about a mile from the compound and let Goniff out. The pickpocket disappeared into the woods, intent on reaching the communication tower where the military wires joined with the main communication line.

Goniff lugged the heavy bag of tools through the brush and the trees. It was too bloody complicated, he thought, to have to hit four different targets within minutes of each other. And it weren't just them. The Warden had explained there were other groups doing the same thing at other installations. He hitched the bag up again and looked at his watch for the first of many times.

Garrison pulled the car to a stop at the barrier to the German compound. He sat, unsmiling and staring straight ahead as one of the guards approached Actor in the back seat. The con man looked coldly at the young man.

"I am Col. Hoffmann to see Col. Stein," Actor said, showing annoyance at the delay.

The soldier stammered as expected. "Your papers, Sir?"

Actor glared down his nose at the man. "I am SS. I do not need to show you my papers."

Terrified, but determined to do his job correctly, the soldier stated a bit more firmly, "I am sorry, Herr Colonel, but I must see your papers."

Actor waited a full five seconds, watching the young man's unease increase before pulling his papers from his inside pocket and handing them over with a countenance full of annoyance. The guard looked at the papers and quickly flashed eyes back and forth between the photo of the colonel and Actor. Satisfied, he hurriedly handed the papers back and motioned the other guard to raise the barrier.

"I am sorry, Herr Colonel," the guard said nervously, right arm flashing out followed by a "Heil, Hitler."

Actor looked at him as though he were an insect to be squashed and dismissively raised his right hand in return. He then stared straight ahead as Garrison drove past the barrier. Craig stopped the car in front of the headquarters building, got out quickly and opened the door for Actor with the right amount of deference. The two men mounted the steps and went through the door that was held open for them by another guard, Actor ahead of Garrison.

The tall, thin, dark-haired, bespectacled lieutenant at the desk in the hall sprang to startled attention at the approach of the stern SS colonel. Garrison remained a step behind and to the side of Actor, a closed look on his face.

"Col. Stein's office!" demanded Actor.

The lieutenant pointed to a cross hall to the left and stammered, "The office on the right, Herr Colonel. I will let him know you are here." The man reached for the phone.

"No," barked Actor.

He and Garrison strode down the hall to the office and entered without any preliminary. It was a war room, complete with maps on the long wooden table in the middle of the room that was surrounded by a colonel, a major and several lieutenants. All eyes looked up at the intrusion. Actor stepped up to the graying older officer, who stood at least six inches shorter that the con man.

"Colonel Stein?" asked Actor imperiously.

"Ja," replied the officer with suspicion.

"I am Colonel Hoffmann," said Actor. "I am here to advise you of a change in plans. We have received reliable intelligence that the Allies have planted false information and are planning a major assault in a different location. You must move your troops to the new coordinates, sofort!"

Actor stepped to the table, his size and bearing effectively moving two Lieutenants out of his way.

"Excuse me, Colonel . . . Hoffmann?" objected the German colonel with arrogance equal to the con man's. "Why are you here? Why did I not receive this information by telephone?"

Great, thought Garrison, we have to find a colonel with balls. The objection did not seem to faze Actor other than to show an aggravated countenance at the questioning of his authority. With haughty exaggerated patience, the con man said, "The Resistance has been monitoring our communications and disrupting them at will. Any communication of the new coordinates other than face-to-face would result in the Allied forces ambushing our troops."

As if on cue, the telephone rang. A lieutenant answered the phone and held it out to Stein. "Col. Grundig for you, Col. Stein."

Keeping a distrustful eye on Actor, the German colonel walked over and took the receiver from the aide. "Col. Stein here." He listened a moment, eyebrows rising slightly. "Yes, yes, they are here also. Yes, it concerns Operation Baumgarten . . . Yes, right." Stein hung up and returned to the table, the expression on his face showing his dislike of the situation. It always annoyed the Wehrmacht officers when the SS thrust themselves in the midst of their plans and changed them.

"All right, Col. Hoffmann, what are the new coordinates?" The tone sounded as though the words were full of bile.

Actor leaned over the map on the table and pointed out where the troops and artillery were to be deployed. Stein followed where his troops were and where they had to be moved to, an aide writing down the new coordinates.

Garrison was keeping a stealthy eye on the clock. The timing was getting tight. If Col. Stein did not wire his field commander in the next two minutes, Goniff would be cutting the lines and the change of plans would not be made. Craig's face did not betray the feeling of relief when Stein had his communications man relay the message to the commander at the front.

One minute later, Goniff clipped the wires from the military telegraph and then shorted out the telephone lines. Quickly grabbing up his bag of tools, the Englishman snuck a peek out the door of the hut that protected the junction boxes, decided it was clear and exited, heading back to toward the road.

Actor straightened and said with his usual disdain, "Thank you for your cooperation, Col. Stein. I must get back to headquarters."

Stein was still leery of the SS colonel. "General Metzinger should be arriving shortly. I am sure he will want to hear of this change in plans from you, Col. Hoffmann."

"I cannot wait for the general," said Actor, putting his gloves back on and taking the riding crop out from beneath his left arm. "A messenger has been sent to intercept him and apprise him of the situation. I was informed General Metzinger is experiencing car trouble and will be detained." He clicked his heels expertly and gave a nod to the colonel before striding to the door, Garrison hurrying ahead to open it for him.

They left the building without any interference, making an unhurried exit from the compound, Garrison driving and Actor lighting a cigarette as though neither had a care in the world. Once safely on the road away from the headquarters, Garrison glanced in the rearview mirror at the calm confidence man in the back seat. He had to admire the way Actor had bought them a bit more time by telling Stein the general was going to be late. The man was worth all of his six foot four, hundred and eighty pounds in gold. It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last time Craig was thankful he had chosen the Italian for his team.

They picked up Goniff where they had left him, the pickpocket nodding that his end of the caper had been completed. He dropped the heavy bag on the floor behind the seat, just barely missing Actor's booted toes, on purpose, returning the con man's glare with a wide grin. Garrison just shook his head. Now if the rest of the mission could go off without a hitch . . .

GGGGG

Terry's hands on the steering wheel were a little damp. She remained at the curb, ready to pull the big car out when her intended victim got a little closer. She had glimpsed the black Mercedes with the twin red flags on the fenders bespeaking 'general', as it had turned the corner two blocks up. It was slowly approaching the stop sign at the end of the block she was parked on. Terry cast a glance at traffic behind her and saw the street was clear. With a deep sigh, she eased the car into the lane and started to move forward. The Mercedes stopped at the corner and then proceeded to cross the street. Eyes glued to the oncoming vehicle, Terry did not see the troop truck until it was in the intersection. It had not stopped and was travelling at a high rate of speed.

The truck hit the Mercedes broadside right where the general was seated. There was a loud crash of metal and the screeching of protesting tires that slid sideways. The Mercedes was shoved on an angle out of the intersection, barely missing two Wehrmacht soldiers walking across the street, who scrambled to get out of the way. The other side of the staff car slammed into the back of a parked supply truck, coming to rest partially under it.

Eyes wide in shock, Terry pulled her car back to the curb and parked. People were running from all directions. She got out and joined the crowd that was gathering around the wreck. As she eased her way toward the front of the throng of bystanders, she saw the crushed remains of the back half of the Mercedes. The general was a bloody mangled mess. Satisfied he wasn't going to be reaching his intended destination, Terry eased back until she was free of the gawking people around her.

Going back to her car, she started it up and eased it into the street, working it around to go back the way she had come. Approaching traffic stopped and allowed her to maneuver as drivers saw the way was blocked. She nodded her thanks to the drivers and made her way sedately out of the city. Once on the dirt road to the safe house, she gave it some gas and hurried on. Judging by her watch, she would reach the farmhouse before Casino left.

The beautiful old car was left hidden in trees up a dirt track a quarter of a mile from the safe house. Terry trotted through the woods to the house.

Tapping the signal lightly on the door with her knuckles, Terry let herself inside, but still found herself facing Casino's pistol. He made a sour face and put the gun up.

"What are you doin' back so soon?" asked the safecracker. "You were supposed to take care of that general. Did you miss him?"

"Not exactly," said Terry. "If he isn't dead, he should be."

"You weren't s'posed to off the guy," objected Casino. "You were s'posed to slow him up."

"I didn't do it," said Terry with a funny look on her face. "Somebody got there ahead of me. I made sure he wasn't going anywhere and got out. He was hit by a troop truck. I don't know if it was a hit or a real accident. Either way, the general won't be at headquarters."

Casino looked at the girl and realized he had a problem. What was he supposed to do with her now? He was leaving in a minute to go blow up the railroad tracks. Did he take her with him or leave her at the farmhouse alone? Neither was safe. To take her with him meant he could keep an eye on her, but then he would have her around explosives. If he left her here and the Krauts showed up, she would be dead or captured. Trusting himself with the explosives more than he trusted the Krauts, Casino decided to take her with him.

"What's going on in your head?" asked Terry with a narrow eyed look. "Your mouth is usually running away before your mind." The last was said with a grin of affection to ease the sting of the insult.

"I was thinkin' I'd take you with me," broached the safecracker, ignoring the remark.

"You going to teach me how to blow things up?" Terry asked with a tinge of eagerness in her voice.

"No," replied Casino firmly. "I'm gonna keep an eye on you. You wanna stay here by yourself?"

"Not particularly," admitted Terry. She looked down at her dress and pumps. "I got time to change?"

"Yeah, I guess," he replied. "Hurry up!"

Terry disappeared into the bedroom and was back in a couple minutes dressed in her trousers, a blouse and boots. The switchblade harness was on her right forearm and the spare knife was in the sheath of her boot.

Casino shrugged and picked up the bag of his supplies that was atop the table and the rifle. "Well, come on then."

"Lead on," said Terry was a dramatic sweep of her hand toward the door.

"You been hangin' around that damn Italian too much," grumbled Casino.

Terry laughed.

Casino led the way at a hurried clip, impressed that Terry was managing to keep up without any problem. Terry, coming behind the man, was impressed he kept up the pace he did carrying the rifle and the bag of explosives material. They reached the train tunnel with plenty of time to set the charge.

Terry stood by, rifle propped on her hip, alternately scanning the area around them, and watching what Casino was doing. He worked carefully, molding the plastic explosive between the rails at the switching connection. Satisfied with the amount and location of the explosive, he inserted the fuse and connected the wires on the timer. The clock face said they had ten minutes to get well away before the big bang.

"Come on," Casino said quietly.

Taking the rifle from the girl, he took the point as they ran back along the track toward the woods that bordered the rocky hill capping the tunnel. Casino was satisfied with the plan. Blowing the exit of the curved tunnel would make it almost impossible for the engineer to see the damage before he hit it, or at the very least not see the debris until it was too late to stop. The resultant wreckage would be mainly in the tunnel, taking a great deal of time to be cleared up before any undamaged tanks and vehicles could be moved from the accident up to the road.

Terry was following about three yards behind the demolition expert when the unexpected happened.

The blast threw them both off their feet. Debris of rocks and chunks of railroad ties rained down around and on them. Casino was momentarily stunned, not only by the blast, but by the fact that the blast had occurred. Pushing himself to his knees, he shook his head to clear it. Suddenly he remembered Terry and fear raced through him. She had been even closer to the blast. He swung his head around and looked behind.

The girl was alive, rolling slowly onto her back and bringing one knee up.

"Terry!"

Casino scrambled over to her side. She looked up at him with some confusion on her face, eyes blinking as she tried to gather her wits about her. He ran hands down her arms and legs, checking for fractures. There was blood, but her limbs seemed to be intact.

"Babe, talk to me!" said Casino in urgent concern. "Where yuh hurt?"

Terry let him grab her arm and help her to sit up. She shook her head, clearing the shattered thoughts in her brain. "I don't know. I can't hear right."

"Come on. We gotta get you outta here."

Casino got behind her and grabbed her under the arms, pulling her to her feet. She wobbled, but stood. There was blood in the auburn hair on the back of her head and bloody tears in her clothing. Tossing the bag into the woods, the safecracker made sure his rifle was slung over his right shoulder before pulling Terry's right arm around his neck. They started off at a loping run, Casino trying to take as much of her weight on him as possible. The fact that she was not trying to pull away from him scared him even more. She was silent, limping somewhat on her left leg.

The hike back to the safe house seemed to take twice as long as it should have. He didn't even try to make a stealthy approach to the cabin. Goniff met him in the yard, rifle pointed at the pair until he recognized them. His eyes widened at the sight of Terry.

"What 'appened?" he demanded, leading the way to the door.

The Cockney opened the door and held it as Casino half dragged Terry into the room. "Actor!" Panic was evident in Casino's voice.

Actor and Garrison were at the table, guns drawn.

"Merda!" exclaimed the con man, dropping the gun on the table and rushing over to scoop the young woman up in his arms.

"Terry!" Craig was right beside him. "What happened?" he demanded in fear and anger.

"I don't know. It blew too soon." Casino couldn't take his eyes off the girl as Actor disappeared with her into the bedroom.

Garrison followed the tall Italian into the bedroom. Casino stopped at the door and watched from a distance. Goniff moved up and tried to guide him away with a hand on the safecracker's arm.

"Come on, Mate," he coaxed. "Let Actor get 'er fixed up."

Casino jerked away from him, unable to tear his eyes from the girl. It made him sick something he had done had hurt her. He just wasn't sure how badly she was hurt.

Terry lay on the bed, her brother hovering by her head and Actor hurrying to get supplies. Her mind was clearing and she looked around. Her eyes fell on the openly worried safecracker, nothing abrasive about him now. She reached a hand out and motioned him to come over with her fingers.

Garrison looked accusingly at the man, but said nothing as Terry took Casino's hand.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"I'm okay," Casino said. "You took most of it."

Terry quirked a little grin. "Next time, I'll run point."

Actor returned with a basin of water, towels, and the aid kit. "Where are you hurt?" he asked.

"My head hurts," said Terry, starting to take inventory of her injuries.

As Actor helped her to sit up, Casino said, "There's blood on the back of her head."

As the Italian gently parted her hair to find the wound, Terry continued. "The hearing's coming back. I feel like I'm a little cut up on my back and the backs of my arms. And there's something sharp sticking in the back of my left thigh."

"What the hell happened?" demanded Craig.

"I don't know, Warden," said Casino, shaking his head in frustration. "It was set for ten minutes. It blew at one."

Terry winced as Actor probed her scalp. "Hold still," he said quietly, but firmly.

"Are you sure you set the timer right?" asked Craig.

Casino knew what he had done and that he had done it right. "I set the timer right," he shot back defensively.

"He set it right, Craig," said Terry. "I watched him do it."

Garrison turned on her in his worry. "And how would you know. You don't do explosives."

"I've never touched them, but I was shown how at the Farm." She eyed her brother. "Casino's the expert, not us."

"It wasn't my timer, Warden," said Casino defensively and angrily. "Whoever put it together did it wrong."

Actor lifted part of Terry's hair up on top of her head. "While you are arguing about it, one of you hold her hair up."

Casino absently reached out to secure the hair with a hand atop the girl's head, his attention bull-doggedly on the Lieutenant. "I don't like relying on somethin' somebody else made, Warden. Not with explosives."

Terry was trying to keep an eye on the two men beside her and the one behind her. Actor picked up the scissors from the kit and moved toward her head.

"Actor, you are not cutting my hair!" exclaimed Terry.

"Basta, Teresa!" he countered sharply. "I am trimming around the wound so I may suture it closed without getting hair in it. Your hair is long enough to cover it so it won't show until it grows back." He began trimming the auburn tresses away from the laceration. "Unless of course, you would like me to shave it." He was frustrated and trying not to show he was upset that she had been injured.

"Damn it, Warden," continued Casino.

Terry sighed. She didn't have enough arms. Her right hand reached back to rest on Actor's knee, while her left went up to hold Casino's forearm. She tried to look back at her brother, but Casino had a firm hold on her head.

"Come here and sit down, Craig." Garrison stepped around the safecracker and looked at Terry. She raised her eyebrows. "Come on, Guys, I'm the one who's wounded. I say it wasn't Casino's fault. I should know; I was obviously there."

Craig took a calming breath, sat down on the bed next to Terry's knee and rubbed her leg. There was a moment of silence that Terry welcomed with a smile.

"Ouch!" she tried to duck.

"Hold still!" ordered Actor.

Casino tightened a grip on the top of her head.

"Well warn a person when you're going to stick a needle in their head," Terry shot back at Actor, grimacing as he injected procaine into her scalp.

"Would you rather I stitched it up without?" asked the Italian wryly.

"Yes," replied Terry seriously. "That stuff burns like fire."

"Then you should not be getting yourself blown up."

"Hey . . .!" started Casino hotly.

"Enough! Both of you!" said Terry. She saw Craig start to open his mouth. "Don't you start now, Brother." Head still a little fuzzy, but rapidly clearing, she tried to distract the men by changing the subject. "How did the rest of it go?"

"Fine," said Craig. He eyed her with a puzzled look on his face. "Why were you back in time to go with Casino?"

"If I didn't know better," said Terry, "I'd think someone was helping us. A troop truck wiped out the general before I could reach him. Funny thing was the truck was empty and by the time I got close enough to see what happened, the driver was nowhere to be seen. Kind of odd, if you ask me."

"Resistance?" pondered Craig, not sure he believed that one.

"Maybe," replied Terry. "Or the general seriously annoyed somebody and they bumped him off."

Actor's needle hit a tender spot and Terry winced reflexively. She watched his right hand reach out to lay the suture on the sterile towel and reach for the syringe of procaine.

"Just finish it," said Terry.

"Teresa . . ." Actor objected firmly.

"Actor . . ." she objected just as firmly.

With a put upon sigh, the Italian picked up the suture and continued stitching. The rest of the wound was still numb so Terry gave no further indication of discomfort. Actor finished and motioned for Casino to release Terry's hair. The auburn tresses fell into place, covering the wound; the only evidence of its presence being the matted blood in the hair.

"Let me clean up your back and attend that leg," said Actor.

Terry looked between Craig and Casino. "Okay, Gentlemen, I am not undressing in front of all of you. You two, out." She patted Actor's knee. "He's my doctor so he stays. Now give me some privacy."

Craig suddenly wasn't sure about leaving his sister alone and undressed with the con man. Sensing this, Terry made a face and motioned with her head for him to go. She trusted Actor, seriously doubting the older man had any designs on her body. The look on Casino's face said he wasn't too sure either. Terry gave a crooked smile of affection at both men.

"Come on, out," she insisted.

Somewhat reluctantly Craig and Casino left the room and shut the door. Terry removed the knife harness from her arm, then unbuttoned her blouse and allowed Actor to help her out of it. She did feel a little funny sitting in front of the man in just her bra, but strove not to show it.

Actor inspected her back. The smooth pale skin was marred by small, bloody cuts and abrasions. None were deep enough to require stitching, but they were scattered in a way that had the back of the bra and its straps in the way of his cleansing them. He reached up and unhooked the bra. Terry calmly crossed her arms in front of herself to keep the garment on with the ends dangling. Actor smoothed the straps off her shoulders.

"How bad?" asked Terry clinically.

"Not bad," replied the con man. "I am just going to clean them up so they do not become infected."

He took gauze pads and wet them with peroxide, wiping the wounds. He knew it burned, but Terry made no move. Actor tried to approach it as clinically as Terry had sounded, but he could not help noticing the smooth skin of her back, ribs slightly prominent on her thin frame. None of them could be accused of being fat with the food rationing, though Teresa did her best to feed them well. He would have liked a little more meat on her, but she was still attractive enough to catch his attention. He pushed that thought from his mind and continued what he was doing. Finished, he pulled the ends of the bra together and hooked them before helping her back into the blouse.

Terry buttoned it back up and stood up. She was a little uncomfortable with this part too, but the man was being very doctor-like she thought as she unbuttoned her pants and allowed them to drop. Twisting around, she tried unsuccessfully to see the wound on the back of her thigh.

"Ah," said Actor. "You have a large splinter. Lay down on the bed and I will remove it."

Terry lay on her stomach atop the bed, head turned to the side so she could watch him. Actor sat down beside her, picking up forceps from the kit.

"This will hurt," he warned her.

"I'm fine," she said, bracing herself. It still hurt as he removed the wood.

Actor dropped it on the small pile of used gauze. "We will have to observe it for awhile for infection. It appears to be from a railroad tie. Creosote."

"Wonderful," said Terry.

Actor gently pulled the edges of the wound apart and dribbled peroxide into onto it, watching it bubble up. Giving the peroxide time to penetrate, he noted the plain modest cotton undergarment revealed below the edge of the girl's blouse. He gave a mental shake of his head. Cotton, he thought with disgust. He realized with the rationing it would be difficult to come by, but the girl should have enough money by now to afford a couple pair of silk drawers. He could not imagine cotton drawers under the Christian Dior gown he had purchased her. It had never occurred to him the girl would not dress in silk; all the other women he knew did. The wound had begun to bleed pinkly through the peroxide. Actor wiped the wetness away and placed a folded gauze pad over it, holding it in place.

"You will have to turn over so I can wrap it," he said matter-of-factly.

Great, thought Terry. She rolled over, trying to keep her shirt tails as far down as possible, yet bring her knee up so he had access to her thigh. Actor seemed to take no notice. Obviously he wasn't interested in her as a woman. She didn't know if that made her feel good or bad.

As for Actor, he noticed. Again it was the cotton drawers. Maybe it was a good thing they were cotton. They covered things better. Pushing that to the back of his mind, he took roller gauze and wound it tightly around the girl's thigh to hold it in place.

Casino and Garrison had gone into the front room while Actor finished caring for Terry's wounds. Garrison had tried to stay calm, but the thought of his sister being almost blown up was too much. He turned on Casino again. Terry could still hear parts of the conversation the two men were having through the closed door and it made her angrier.

"Okay," said Garrison. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Casino was angry. He knew he was being blamed for Terry getting injured. It was one thing for him to blame himself and another for the Lieutenant to do it. "I was settin' the charge. Terry was standin' watch next tuh me. I put the fuse in and set the timer. I set it for ten minutes. I know the difference between ten and one," he said belligerently. "Terry and I left runnin'. We wanted to be as far away when it went off as we could. I was a ways in front of her. It blew early. Both of us went down, but Terry was closest to it."

"So why were you in front?" demanded Garrison.

"Why d'yuh think?" shot back Casino in frustration. "I was runnin' point in case we come up on a Kraut patrol. What? Yuh want me to put her on point?"

"Why was she with you in the first place?" questioned Garrison.

Casino looked at him with cocked head, hands on hips to keep from taking a swing at the officer. "I didn't think I should leave her here by herself. Besides, if I didn't take her she'd'uh just followed me. This way I could keep an eye on her."

"That was a good eye you had on her," shot back Garrison before he could stop himself. He knew he was being unfair to the safecracker when it was his fault for allowing the girl to come along.

Casino blew up completely, "Damn it, Warden! You gotta know I would never do anything to hurt Terry! None of us would! And if you don't know that by now then yer a damn fool." Casino knew he had overstepped himself with that last. He turned on his heel and went out the door.

Actor finished tying the knot on the bandage around Terry's thigh. She pulled away from him and stood to yank her trousers back up. Her head was throbbing and her back and leg felt like she'd tangled with a porcupine, despite the Italian's interventions. Craig's attack on Casino threw her over the edge. Totally ignoring Actor's warning that she should be lying down, Terry strode to the door and went into the front room with a good head of steam. She came to a halt in front of Garrison.

"Will you quit already!" She glared at him. "You know it wasn't Casino's fault. What's the matter with you? I don't see you yelling at the guys when one of them gets hurt."

"I shouldn't have let you come along," admitted Garrison. "I should have kept you out of it."

"Well I got news for you, Brother," said Terry. "You can let me come along with you, and you can all 'keep an eye on me', or I can go find another team to work with. I seriously doubt I would have any trouble getting recruited by OSS or SOE for that matter. I told you before I'm in it now and I'm staying in it."

Just at that moment, Goniff let himself into the cabin. "What's up Casino's arse . . .?" He paused at the scene in front of him. Garrison and Terry were squared off at each other and Actor was standing in the doorway to the bedroom, not bothering to hide the tightlipped look of anger on his face, his eyes on the girl. "Oh, bloody 'ell," the Englishman muttered and walked away to get himself a drink of wine. He sat down on the edge of the table, eyes darting between the three.

"Give over, Craig," said Terry with only a little less heat. "I think I'm doing pretty good at pulling my own weight, but if you don't think so then I can just go find somebody who does." She limped to the door and let herself out.

"Uh, Warden," broached Goniff gingerly. "Casino might be kinda mouthy 'n' all, but he would be extra careful if he had Terry around. 'E wouldn't do anything to 'urt 'er. None of us would."

Garrison noticed the Italian for the first time and looked at his response. Actor shrugged his eyebrows in agreement with the pickpocket. Craig said nothing, but walked to the window and carefully peered around the curtain. Terry had disappeared. She must have been picking things up from Chief.

GGGGG

Terry eased her way through the woods to where Casino was now standing watch. She gave a short low whistle to warn him she was there. He shot a glance at her, going back to scan the area as she moved over beside him. She leaned against the tree, head throbbing, but she pushed that discomfort to the back of her mind.

"It wasn't your fault," she said softly. "Craig knows it. He's just reacting to me. He'll get over it once he settles down. You're not to blame."

"Yes I am," replied the safecracker. "It was my explosive."

"But it wasn't your timer," persisted Terry. "Maybe from now on we shouldn't accept anything someone else makes."

"At least that way, if I blew you up, I'd know it was all my fault," he said, avoiding her eyes. "You know I wouldn't ever hurt you?"

Terry looked at his profile, eyebrow tilted down in a frown and full lower lip prominent. She smiled. "Of course I know that," she reassured him. "You can be a mouthy pain in the rear sometimes, but between you and me, you're a nice man."

He darted an embarrassed look at her and scanned the area again. Terry watched him. He was solid and strong and right now she was very aware of her own mortality and needed to lean on some strength. Actor did not strike her as the hugging type and she wasn't about to show any weakness to Craig. Goniff liked a good hug, but he was with Craig.

"Anything out there?" asked Terry.

"Naw," Casino replied.

"Well, in that case, if you're careful of my back, can I get a hug?"

Casino turned a startled look at her. She was watching him seriously. She wasn't joking. Her right arm slipped slowly around his waist. Tentatively, he put his left arm around her shoulders, only touching her lightly.

Terry slipped her other arm around him and pulled close, her forehead tucking into his neck. He smelled of leather and warm man, not a bad combination. And he fit pretty darn good too. He made no move to push her away so she rested against him, savoring the moment. Not wanting to press her luck, she started to pull back, but couldn't resist pausing to place a little kiss on his lightly whiskered cheek. That got a look of surprise from him.

"What was that for? I didn't do nothin' to warrant that," he said.

"Guess I need to come up with a good reason, huh?" She screwed up her face as though concentrating. "I guess it's thanks for the chicken coop and the chickens. Even if you did have a unique way of getting the chicks."

Casino grinned at her impudence. "Hey, I came out ahead on that deal."

Terry tried to swallow a laugh. Casino's grin widened.

"You're rotten," said Terry.

"That's not what she said," he shot back at her.

While Terry shook with silent laughter, Casino turned away to scan the area again. He had a strong urge to kiss her.

"I better get back before Craig comes looking and shoots the both of us," said Terry.

He looked back at her with a crooked grin. Terry was looking back at him. Unable to resist, her hand reached up to brush the stubborn curl back off his forehead, chuckling when it sprang back to its former position.

"Spring steel," she said with humor.

Casino said nothing, surprised at the gesture and the feelings it evoked.

She looked down, embarrassed by her boldness and wondering where it had come from. "See you later."

He silently watched her limping form disappear back into the woods.


	4. Chapter 4

Timing

Part 4

Christine immersed herself in washing the dishes after her siblings and the men had left. She was acutely aware of the young man upstairs and it gave her mixed feelings. There was no denying she was attracted to him. His quietness and handsome dark looks intrigued her. In London, he had treated her with polite respect and a hesitancy that bordered on shyness at the same time showing interest in her.

Nick, her boyfriend in New York, had been blond, cocky and boisterous; just the thing to attract a naïve girl from the country. Like his older brother, Jake, Nick had been pure city, used to the lights and bustle of Manhattan that had initially scared Chris. Riding on his whirlwind way of dealing with life, the young girl had learned to be comfortable in the brick and concrete city, though not as comfortable as Terry had been.

Chris pondered her older sister. She admired Terry and wished she could be more like her. Maybe it was the 'education' the older girl had received in Italy. Being taught the Mafioso way by their maternal aunt, uncles and cousins had prepared Terry for dealing with the mob beside Jake when Scarlotta had tried to take over Jake's bar. Jake and Nick had tried to keep Chris safe and out of the way. Terry, with her switchblade, knowledge of Italian and penchant for picking up accents, had gotten right in the don's face, showing aggression rather than fear. It was this that kept the older sister alive. Christine did not think Craig or any of the rest of the family knew the price it had cost Terry. Nick had eventually told Chris that it was no longer safe for Terry to show her face in New York. Craig had gotten the two girls out of there just in time. Scarlotta had taken the bar away from Jake after Craig had hospitalized the ex-surgeon. It had been Terry's money that got the Bradford brothers to the relative safety of war torn England. Dirk and Tinker, both working for Shiv as Jake was known, had quickly followed. It was Dirk who told Chris how Nick's cocky attitude had resulted in his death by firing squad in France.

Judging by what Terry had told her about the young man upstairs, Chief was probably more deadly and dangerous than Nick could ever have become. He just did not seem like a cold-blooded killer with no remorse or regret for the people he had supposedly killed. Not that Crystal had any firsthand experience with cold-blooded killers . . . that she knew of.

As she put away the dry dishes and filled the feed and water dishes in the chicken box, Chris contemplated the other three men in the group. She had not read their dossiers, but Terry had filled her in on their pasts and their records. Casino, though more Chicago than New York, was the mouthy type of man she had become used to when hanging around Nick. Terry had told her that underneath the bluster was an intelligent and basically decent man.

Goniff was adorable in his own funny little way. According to Terry, the pickpocket and second story man was a borderline, if not an outright kleptomaniac. He was like a raven, attracted to bright and shiny small objects. Goniff was the optimistic one of the group, jesting and trying to keep the peace in the bunch, though he did like his practical jokes. Terry said he could also be quite serious when necessary.

That left Actor. Born years before the others, but by no means old, he was the natural one to be the second in command behind Garrison. Extremely intelligent, European, suave, and with an air of mystery, he was the most difficult to understand. Tending to keep to himself, even when with the others, it was almost impossible to determine what was the truth with him and what was the con. Or maybe it was all a con. Christine sensed a sadness about the man that he kept hidden. He was also dangerous. Looking back on the first time in London, Chris wondered how she had gotten the courage to just go up and kiss the man. Anger at her sister was the only explanation she could come up with, besides the fact he was a good looking man, even if he wasn't her type. Chris smiled. Terry was concerned about her and Chief. She should be more concerned about herself. Terry had always been attracted to the intelligent ones and with the Italian heritage and handsome Roman features thrown in besides, it was a sure thing she would be interested in the man. Chris had a feeling it was too late to put a curb on that, even though the girl didn't seem to realize she was in deep water already.

Satisfied the chicks were settled for the night, Chris turned off the kitchen light. Moving into the common room, she banked the fire in the fireplace and walked back to turn off the light by the door. In the dim light from the upstairs, Chris headed up. She had left a light on in Terry's room to cast a dim glow into the hallway. Walking quietly down the men's hall, she paused in front of Chief's door. Knuckles tapped lightly on the door.

"Come in," said Chief.

Chris entered, leaving the door open. She smiled at the man propped up in the bed, a book barely sticking out from under the covers as though shoved under in a hurry.

"I came to see if you needed anything," she said, moving over to his fireplace.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," said Chief quietly.

"Aren't you cold?" the girl asked, very much aware of bare shoulders and arms above the covers that were bunched up in the middle. Maybe he didn't own pajamas or a tee-shirt.

"Naw," replied Chief, watching the girl's back as she lowered herself to add wood to the fire. At her skeptical look over her shoulder at him, he shrugged. "A little I guess."

Chris straightened and turned toward him. "You have pajamas or something?"

Chief nodded. "In the bottom drawer of the armoire." He wasn't about to tell her he usually slept in just his shorts. Terry was used to seeing him shirtless, but this was Christine, not Terry. Maybe he should be a little bit more dressed around her.

Chris walked across the room and opened the armoire. Chief watched her as she bent at the knees to open the bottom drawer and retrieve a pair of pale blue pajamas. As she straightened again, he noticed the grace with which she moved. It was almost like a dancer, or maybe the deer in the woods. She approached him and held out the garments. He took them from her with a nod of thanks.

"You – uh – don't need any help to get changed do you?" she asked hesitantly.

"No, I think I can manage," said Chief. He eyed her hesitancy and couldn't help but grin. "Terry didn't warn you, did she?"

"No," admitted Chris. "She just asked me if I could take care of the chicks and you. She just said you had gotten hurt. She wasn't specific about anything." She couldn't help a giggle of embarrassment.

Chief grinned openly. "In the morning, if you put the stuff close by, I can try to change the dressing myself," he offered.

Chris shook her head. "If Terry can do it, I can do it," she said firmly. "If you don't mind, I can change it."

Chief nodded. "I guess I don't mind."

The girl nodded, a little unsure about what to talk about now. She decided a retreat was the best idea. "Okay, well, I'm going to bed if you don't need anything. I'll leave my door open. If you need help during the night, just yell."

"I'm fine," assured Chief, thinking he was beginning to sound like the Lieutenant with that line.

"Good night, then," said Chris, backing to the door. She went out, pulling the door only half closed behind her.

GGGGG

The next morning, Chris arose and dressed before going to light a fire in the upstairs common room fireplace to warm it up. She figured at some point Chief was going to want to get out of that bedroom and it took a long time to heat up the cavernous common room. Next she went downstairs and checked on the chicks, stoking the stove before returning upstairs. Cautiously, she peeked into Chief's room. He lifted his head up to see her.

"Did I wake you up?" asked Chris, walking up to the bed.

"No," denied Chief. "I usually get up early. The Warden and I try to get a run in before breakfast."

"I don't think you'll be doing that today," smiled Chris.

"Don't look like it," said Chief.

"What would you like for breakfast?" the girl asked.

Fry bread and frijoles refritos immediately popped into Chief's mind. He wasn't sure where that thought had come from and wasn't about to ask the girl. He wondered if she even knew how to make it. Besides, he had never seen pinto beans in England. Instead, he shrugged his eyebrows. "Anything you feel like making is fine," he said. "You don't have to go any trouble for me."

That's a big help, thought Chris. "Okay, I'll see what Terry has in the kitchen." She looked down at him with a tilt to her head. "I have a fire going in the common room up here. Do you want to eat there or in here?"

"I'd like to get out of this bed," admitted Chief. "Uh, I don't have a robe or nothin'."

"Craig probably does," said Chris. "He won't mind."

Chris went into Craig's room and found a robe hanging on a hook in his armoire. Her eyes widened with an accompanying grin as she spotted the brandy bottle and glasses behind his shirts. She brought the robe back to Chief and laid it across the foot of his bed, pretending not to notice the book was back partway under the covers.

Going down to the kitchen, she dug around in the cupboards and refrigerator to see what was at hand. Bread, eggs, a bit of sugar, a tad of butter, a little flour in a tin, and a surprise tin of Golden Syrup. She grinned and set about making French toast from the loaf of bread in the bread box.

A little while later, Chris carried a tray with two plates of French toast and two cups of coffee up to the common room. As she was setting out the places at the table, Chief limped in and eased himself into one of the chairs, Garrison's robe tied firmly shut.

"I don't know when the last time was I had French toast," he remarked in appreciation.

"It's amazing what you can come up with when you're rationed," replied Chris.

They ate in silence for awhile, neither knowing what to say to the other.

"Terry says you used to work for the OSS," Chief broached.

"Not anymore," she replied. "I do some stuff sometimes for the SOE and the Maquis in France." She glanced up at him. "Nothing like you guys do."

"Well, like what kind of stuff?" asked Chief.

"Mostly dead letter drops," she said between bites. "Sometimes I try to get information from officers' desks, like that time when I met you in France."

"Stuff wasn't on a desk," said Chief. "Casino got it outta the safe. You break into safes?"

"No," admitted Chris. "Tinker does, but he was somewhere with Dirk."

Chief was curious about this young woman who was quieter and a bit more timid than her sister. "What would you have done if you couldn't get the papers?"

"I would have stayed there until I could get my hands on them or Tinker came to get me out."

"So you're not really a nurse," said Chief with a tiny grin.

"No," she replied. "I'm just the sister. Terry's the one who went into nursing. It was the best she could come up with to get off the ranch."

"So when this war is over, what are you gonna do to get offa the ranch?" Chief took a sip of coffee and watched her.

"Oh, I'll go back to the ranch. I don't really know or want anything else." She turned her eyes to the Indian. He was leaning slightly towards her and he seemed genuinely interested in what she was saying. It made her comfortable enough to open up to him. "I always thought I would marry and have children." She gave a little shrug. "There just aren't many young men around and what's there I wouldn't want to be married to. The Gallagher boys are too much like brothers to me. Besides, Joe's too old, Pres is older and after Cinder, and Jeff got killed in North Africa. And I wouldn't touch any of that nasty Cummings brood."

Chief grinned, "Cummings aren't good husband material?"

"Hardly," grinned Chris. "They were always trying to do something bad to Monty, just because he's Indian. Jim and Craig used to get in some really bad fights. Jim picked on Terry too, but she just belted him right back. Craig taught her how to fight."

"What about their father? Didn't he try to stop it?"

"Roy Cummings? He's worse than his kids. He came over one time and tried to get Ma in the kitchen. She picked up a butcher knife. I think she would have used it too. Monty came in with a shotgun and ran him off our land."

Chief stared at her. "Where was your father?"

"Washington, where he always is. Craig was at the Point."

"So what happened?" Chief wasn't even drinking his coffee now.

"Nothing. Nobody will take on the Cummings. It looked like war was coming, so Roy went back into the Army. He was a Major in World War I. It got rid of him, and the boys got called up so they left. It was real quiet after that." Chris grinned.

"So why do you stay here?" questioned Chief. "Why don't you go home?"

"Because I think I'm doing something useful here," she replied. "I never felt useful at home. I never felt useful in New York for that matter. I'm the little sister. Everybody tried to protect me. I wasn't allowed to go to Italy like Craig and Terry so I didn't get their _education_. And when we were taken out of New York, I was sent back to the ranch and Terry wasn't."

"You were underage," Chief reminded her.

"Yes, I know, but I don't think it would have mattered how old I was." She smiled at Chief. "I just want to do something good like Terry is before I go back to the ranch."

"What we do isn't safe," said Chief.

"I know," said Chris. "But it makes a difference in the lives of the people in Europe."

"They don't know what we do," objected Chief.

"No, but we know." She glanced at the harness that was on the young man's arm even in pajamas in the house that was safe. "Terry said you made hers. Could you make me one?"

Chief looked at her startled. "You know how to use a switchblade?"

Chris nodded. She bent a little sideways and straightened with a blade in her hand that she had retrieved from her boot. "Shiv taught me when he taught Terry. He didn't want me around them without knowing how to use them. I'm just not as good with it as she is."

"I guess I can make you one," said Chief, wondering what the Warden would think about that.

"Thank you," she smiled.

They finished their breakfast and Chris collected their dirty dishes. With a promise to Chief that she would come up and change the bandage on his hip after she was done, she took the dishes downstairs to wash them.

Chief watched her disappear out the door of the common room. He sat back in his chair, feeling the warmth in the room and contemplated the young woman. She seemed more fragile than her older sister, but he sensed because of what she said or maybe how she said it there was steel in her spine too. And she talked to him like a person, even confiding in him. Not once in the times he had shared with her now had she spoken or acted in any way that showed fear or condemnation. She treated him like a worthwhile person, something that he wasn't used to from the female population. His previous fiancée, also ironically Christine, had condemned him in the end. Somehow, he knew this Christine wouldn't do that.

Slowly, he levered himself up from the chair and, because he was alone, allowed the wince of pain in his hip to spasm across his face. It was getting stiff. He needed to move more and he wanted to get out of the house. He wasn't used to being cooped up in the mansion except for weather and even that rarely stopped him. Chief hobbled back to his bedroom. Before climbing back into the bed, he made sure the book Actor had given him to read was tucked safely under the pillows.

GGGGG

Crystal walked slowly up the stairs with a sense of trepidation about what she was about to do. She had seen Terry's face take on a calm, unfazed expression when she had changed dressings on her siblings when they were at the ranch. Terry had always been the family's answer to a medicine woman, having learned some of the Native American herbal lore from Monty and more for the Blackfoot tribe's medicine woman, Laughing Water. Chris had never had the need or opportunity to practice first aid and wound care at home. Oh, sure, she had doctored on Kelly, Dirk and Tinker, but one was her brother and the other two really were like brothers to her, and none had been wounded in what she considered to be a delicate location. This man upstairs was _not_ a brother and the wound was not in a spot she was comfortable with.

With a smile on her face, she paused in the doorway to Chief's bedroom. He was partially propped up in bed waiting for her. Chris moved to the dresser top to get the supplies and arrange them on the chair beside the bed. Chief had moved away a bit and was wiggling under the covers. To the girl's relief, he carefully arranged the covers to only show the dressing and bit of outer thigh.

Chris hesitated. "Do you need anything first? Aspirin? Morphine? I know there's morphine in the fridge. I know how to give that."

"I know," said Chief with a humorous smile. "I remember you snowed the Warden."

"I didn't know any better," said Chris with embarrassment.

"I know," replied Chief, enjoying her rosy cheeks. "I don't need nothin'. Really."

Chris couldn't put it off any longer and bent to tentatively reach toward the dressing.

"Uh, you can sit on the bed. I made room," offered Chief.

Chris perched a hip gingerly on the edge of the bed. With careful fingernails, she loosened the ends of the tape pieces and slowly peeled them back, aware Chief was watching her and not moving. She found herself aware of the contrast between her pale hands and his nut brown skin. It was a nice contrast. She was also aware of the firm muscles down the short length of thigh that was visible.

Trying to restrict her mind to the task at hand, she carefully removed the old dressing. There were tiny specks of old blood on it, but nothing fresh or dirty. The wound was finely stitched with some bruising on the innermost side, but no redness or drainage. She frowned, trying to understand the dynamics of the wound that bruised on one side only.

"It came in from the side. It wasn't a front shot. Terry says it's what saved me from it hitting the bone head on," said Chief, understanding what she was looking at.

"And Terry's the one who took it out?" asked the girl as she sprinkled sulfa powder on the wound. "I didn't know she knew how to do that."

"She didn't," replied Chief. "Warden talked her through it." He paused, watching her fingers. "Is Terry really a medicine woman?"

"I guess as much as a white woman can be," said Chris. She laid some gauze pads on the wound and started ripping tape. "She was taught by the Blackfoot. They don't call theirs 'medicine woman.' I think it's a white man's term."

"Same with the Apache," said Chief. "My mother's father was the shaman of our tribe. He taught me the herbs and the ceremonies."

Chris looked up at him in surprise. "You're a medicine man?"

"Naw," denied Chief, embarrassed at her now thinking he was that important. "I just know some of it."

She looked back down and applied the tape to the bandage. He had never moved, but he seemed a little tense. She wondered if he was embarrassed too, but decided, being a man, probably not. Finished, Chris popped up off the bed with a smile and bent to gather her supplies and put them away. She watched Chief flip the covers where they belonged and wiggle under them to adjust his pajamas.

"Is there anything more I can do for you?" the girl asked.

"Naw, I'm good," he replied.

Chris headed for the door.

"Hey, Crystal?" called Chief.

"Yes, Rainey?" she stopped and turned back expectantly.

"Uh, thanks for takin' care of that," he nodded toward his hip. "And for breakfast. It was nice of you to make somethin' special."

"Oh, well, you're welcome," she said. "I'm going to see what I can find to make for supper. If you need anything just yell."

GGGGG

Chris spent the rest of the morning puttering around, cleaning the common room and the kitchen. She had found a frozen beef roast, small, but it could be stretched with vegetables and such into a nice stew. It was set on the table to thaw. Periodically, she went to check on Chief. He was always in about the same position, propped up in the bed. She saw no more of the book and wondered what he was doing to occupy himself, but didn't ask. It was early afternoon when she started cutting up vegetables for the stew.

Having had enough of the bed, and figuring it was probably warm enough out, Chief got up stiffly and got a pair of pants and a sweater out of the armoire. Sitting on the edge of the bed and bending his leg to get his ankle over his knee and putting his sock on pulled at the dressing and wound. He was determined to get out of the house, so he continued on. The pants were tight on the dressing also, but he ignored it. Dressed, he made his way to the door, down the hall and down the stairs one at a time.

When he got to the door to the kitchen, he paused to put a smile on his face and force himself into an erect posture. Trying not to limp too badly, he pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen. The girl looked up from the table at him in surprise.

"What are you doing up and down here?" Chris asked.

"I need to get out of the house for awhile. Thought I'd go out and sit in the garden," replied Chief casually.

"Okay," said Chris dubiously. "Do you need help down the steps?"

"No," denied Chief. "I got down here all right."

He felt her eyes on him as he walked to the backdoor and let himself out. He wasn't too sure this was one of his better ideas, until the fresh air hit him. Now he was determined to make it down the steps and to the bench under the trees. He paused to take a deep breath of the fragrant air and started down the steps. He could have used one of Actor's fancy canes, but that would have been a sign of weakness and he wasn't about to show that in front of the girl. So, he made his way slowly and carefully to the bench and sank down on it in relief.

Chris watched out the window until he was seated before going back and putting the meat on the stove in seasoned water to start cooking. With another look out the window to make sure the man was all right, she went upstairs to his room. With him out of the bed, she thought she would straighten the sheets and fluff the pillows for him.

She pulled the covers down to the bottom of the bed and fanned and smoothed them so he could reach them easily when he got back in. Chris smoothed the sheets with her hands and picked up the top pillow, shaking it to plump it up again. She laid that one down and picked up the other one. The book was closed under it. Fluffing the pillow first, she set in aside and picked the book up, looking at the cover.

Treasure Island. That was a fun book. Her mother had read it to them as children. Chief was about a third of the way through it, judging by where the dust cover was keeping his place. She laid it on the bed and put the pillows back where they belonged.

Going back to the kitchen, she looked at her other charges in their warm box by the stove. The fuzzy little birds started chirping in earnest when she drew near.

"Oh, no," she laughed. "I am not your mother. And you better not all be roosters either."

She fixed a spam and cheese sandwich for herself and Chief. Taking the sandwiches and two glasses of milk, she carefully went out the back door and down the steps.

"You hungry?" she called to the Indian. "It's going to be awhile until supper."

"Sure," said Chief.

Chris sat down beside him on the bench, handing him a glass of milk. He set it on the bench next to him and took the sandwich she held out to him.

"Sorry, it's spam."

"'S okay," he said with a smile.

They sat in relative silence, eating and enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze.

"I straightened your bed out," mentioned Christine. "Are you enjoying Treasure Island? I thought it was a fun book, peg-legged pirates, parrots, and buried treasure."

Chief's initial unease at her finding the book was quickly eased by her words. "Actor picked it out. He thought I'd like it. He was right."

"Is Robinson Crusoe in the library?" asked Chris.

"Yeah. I read that one already. Liked that one too."

"How about the Three Musketeers?"

Chief shook his head. "Can't. It's in French."

Chris smiled. "I have it in English at home. The next time I come down from London, I can bring it for you if you'd like."

Chief smiled back at her. "I'd like that. Thanks."

Rising and taking the empty glasses and plate, Christine looked down at him. "I have things to do in the kitchen. Are you coming back in?"

"Not yet," said Chief. "It's nice out here."

"Okay," she smiled.

Chief watched her walk back to the house. He still could not get over how someone as sweet as her could treat him like a normal person. She knew what he did. She probably even knew what he had done, or supposedly had done, and she didn't seem to care, just taking him at face value.

An hour later, the hip was aching from the tightness of the pants pressing against the wound and sitting on the hard bench. Chief levered himself up, biting his lower lip at the sharp stab of pain. Slowly straightening to his six foot height, he took a couple steps forward. The hip buckled and he almost fell. The back door burst open and Chris leapt down the steps, running to meet him. She grabbed his arm.

"Rainey, are you all right? Can we get you into the house?" There was genuine worry in her voice.

"I'm okay," said Chief, not wanting to admit he wasn't.

"Craig's rubbing off on you," said Chris in disgust. "For heaven's sake, Rainey, let me help you. I'm not that fragile and you're not that well. Or are you too darn stubborn to accept help from a woman?"

He looked at her, seeing the stubbornness in her eyes and realizing he was going to need her help to get up the steps and into the house. "Okay," he conceded quietly.

Chris slipped under his arm, holding his hand in front of her shoulder and placing her other arm around his waist. Together they managed to hobble him up the steps and as far as the common room downstairs. She got him over to the big chair by the window and helped him ease down into it, putting his leg up on the ottoman.

"We'll give it a rest and try the stairs in a little bit," Chris said firmly.

"Yes, Ma'am." He grinned at her firmness. He grasped her hand lightly. She was something and he had a strong urge to kiss her.

Chris looked at him with a pretty little smile as if reading his mind. "I suppose one kiss can't hurt anything."

He pulled on her hand and she bent to lightly touch lips to his. The kiss lasted a little longer than planned before both pulled back. Chris eyed him contemplatively.

"I'll be in the kitchen." She turned and walked away thinking she had been wrong about that one little kiss. It made her want more.

Chris went into the kitchen and added the vegetables to the pot of meat. There would be more vegetables than meat, but that was the way of things nowadays. If it worked out right, there would be enough to feed the whole group tomorrow night if she added dumplings to the stew. Tonight she and Rainey would have bread with it.

By the time she returned to the common room, Chief was ready to try the stairs. Chris stood close by as he stood up. The hip hurt, but so far it wasn't trying to buckle on him.

"I can make it," he said with more confidence than he had.

"Yes, well I'm going with you," said Chris firmly.

He grinned at her. "Gettin' a little cocky there aren't you?"

"Somebody has to make you behave," she shot back with a returning grin.

"Oh and you think that's you?"

She linked her arm with his. "I'll just tell Terry you were overdoing it and wouldn't follow directions."

"That really scares me," scoffed the Indian with humor.

"I'll tell her you need to be in a hospital," said Chris smugly. "If you're in a hospital in London, I can come see you more."

"You could just stay here for a couple more days."

"Only if you want me to," Chris said turning shy again.

Chief shrugged, "Wouldn't bother me none if you did."

"Wouldn't bother you if I didn't?" she asked.

"I'd miss you," he replied boldly.

That brought a smile to her face. "Then I guess I'll stay awhile."

They made their way upstairs one step at a time.


	5. Chapter 5

Timing Part 5

Terry moved uncomfortably on the hard metal bench in the airplane. The edge was catching her over the wound on the back of her leg. Creosote impregnated wood tended to leave a lasting burning in a wound anyway without the additional pressure. Craig cast an eye on her.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Terry nodded. She looked up at her brother. "Say, tell me something."

"What?"

Terry frowned. "When you briefed us on this mission, you said there were other teams at other locations doing the same thing we were doing. Are there other teams out there with cons like us?"

"No," Craig shook his head. "There are special forces teams doing the same things we are." He couldn't help a tiny bit of pride showing. "Though not as good as our guys." He looked at his sister, finding it satisfying he finally had someone he could talk to openly. "General Fremont told me the upper brass is impressed with our record. They think this was a good idea, so they are going to start setting up other teams of cons."

Terry shot a surprised look at him and said smugly, "They won't be as good as these guys."

"Probably not," agreed Craig. "I did get the best of the lot."

"Will that take some of the pressure off of us?" she asked.

"I don't know," replied Craig honestly. "I hope so, but I doubt it. They just can't stretch us much thinner. It will mean I will be going away for a few days at a time to help them with the initial set up." He noticed but did not comment on her use of 'us', including herself in the group. As much as he hated to admit it, she was becoming part of the group now.

"Will you be going in with them?" Terry asked with concern.

"Probably not," said Garrison. "I don't know. I went in the first couple times with one of the other lieutenants when he set up his Special Forces team. They aren't cons so they follow military procedure better."

"I think we work because we _don__'__t_ follow military procedure," remarked the girl.

"I know." There was a twinge of frustration in his voice. Terry eyed him and spoke softly to be sure the others could not hear. "You're having a problem with that aren't you?"

"Yeah," agreed Garrison, speaking just as softly. "It goes against everything we were ever taught in the Academy."

"This is a new concept," said Terry. "It's kind of like taking the cavalry versus the Indians and making us the Indians."

Craig looked at her in surprise at the excellent analogy. "Yes, now that you put it that way."

"Brother, the military has to change. Times are changing. We are no longer fighting wars against honorable men. Yeah, the tanks and the infantry and the bombing raids, they stay about the same, but now the enemy is fighting dirty and we have to fight just as dirty or lose. There's always going to be war, but I think it is evolving into the three 'S's." At his questioning look she continued, "Spying, sabotage, and subterfuge."

Craig stared at her. "Maybe you ought to be teaching West Point."

"Hardly," replied Terry with a sarcastic snort.

"You grew up on the ranch too," said Craig. "How did you learn so much about war?"

Terry leaned back, shoulder to shoulder with her brother. "I watch and listen. I did that in Washington with Dad. And here I do the same thing. You're busy trying to keep control over the guys. All I have to do is sit back and learn, from them and you. I listen up when you and Actor are plotting. You have a keen mind, Craig. You always have. Actor has one too, but his can take a wicked twist. You're learning."

"That's what I'm afraid of," admitted Craig. "I'm afraid I'm going to become like him."

Terry squeezed his arm. "I think you are becoming more realistic. You never went through whatever in this life he did that set him on the path he chose. We can learn from him, but we'll never be like him. Makes you wonder what he would have become under different circumstances."

"The world would have been a safer place," joked Garrison.

"Not for the women," said Terry with a smile. "That part wouldn't have changed." Craig stared at her. "What?" she grinned. "Hey, I can't deny it; he is a very handsome, very attractive and appealing man." At the concern in her brother's eyes, she added, "But not my type." She wouldn't admit even to herself that was changing too.

GGGGG

Chris had been watching for the Packard and went out to stand at the top of the steps when she heard it coming up the drive. It pulled to a stop close to the base of the steps, the engine was turned off. Christine frowned, not remembering hearing the horn sound for wounded. She stayed where she was, watching to see what was going on.

The back doors opened and Goniff and Casino spilled out. Casino positioned himself just behind and to the side of the front passenger door. Both front doors opened, with Craig getting out on the driver's side and Actor getting out on the passenger side. The Italian gave the safecracker an irritated look which only caused the shorter man to take an insolent half step back.

Actor reached a hand inside the vehicle and assisted Teresa to get out. The girl was moving a bit stiffly. The confidence man tucked her left hand around his right elbow, patted it, and started carefully toward the stairs. Casino stepped up from behind them and tucked her right hand between his elbow and body. Terry looked at him in surprise, but did not object. The two men exchanged glares over her head, Actor's warningly and Casino's challenging.

Oh, boy, thought Chris, wondering at Casino's bid for what Chris had come to assume was Actor's territory. She shot a quick glance at Craig. Garrison was watching the three with a disgusted look and a shake of his head. Goniff was staying well back from the group. As the trio started up the steps, Chris thought it was a good thing the stairway was a wide one.

She waited until they were halfway up before asking Terry, "What happened to you."

"Casino blew me up," replied the older girl breezily.

"Thanks, Terry," objected the safecracker, missing the accusing eyes Actor directed toward him.

"It's all right, Babe," said Terry, "I told you I forgive you." She paused with a wicked grin. "And I am sure Craig will too . . . sometime in the next hundred years."

"He really blew you up?" asked Chris incredulously.

"Kind of," affirmed Terry.

The three reached the landing and paused. Chris backed into the house and held the door open. Neither man seemed likely to let go of Terry's arm. The older girl looked up and back and forth between the two.

"Excuse me, Gentlemen," she said. "We can't all three fit through the door together. I thank both of you for your gallantry, but I can walk on my own from here." With a slight tug, she freed her hands from both men and stepped forward.

"Hi Craig!" called Chris trying to prevent a fist fight from starting on the landing. "How are you?"

"Getting annoyed," replied her brother. He pushed between his confidence man and his safecracker. "Grow up," he growled.

"Excuse me?" erupted Actor indignantly.

"What?" exploded Casino at the same time.

"You heard me," said Craig evenly, never looking back.

Terry stood at the base of the stairs, back to the scene, biting both lips to keep from laughing. Chris let go of the door, sucked in both cheeks and walked over to stand with her sister.

Casino smirked at the Italian and motioned him in first. "Age before looks," he taunted in a quiet voice.  
>Actor gave him a look relegating him to the station of a cockroach and proceeded into the house. Casino followed with Goniff hanging back and cautiously bringing up the rear, closing the door quietly behind them.<p>

"There's scones and hot chocolate in the kitchen, Guys," announced Christine brightly.

Craig paused and turned to look at her. "Scones? You made scones?"

"Muffins to us Yanks," smiled his little sister. "I grated a Hershey bar in them," she added enticingly to encourage the cons into the kitchen.

Goniff immediately made a beeline for the kitchen. Casino slowly sauntered in that direction.

"How is Chief?" inquired Actor.

"He's doing okay," replied Chris, noting the attention of her siblings and the con man. "The wound's clean and the stitches are fine."

"I'll look at it," said Terry to the Italian.

"No," Actor said firmly. "I will look at it. You need to rest."

Craig would ordinarily have said something at the tone of voice, but waited to see how his sister decided to deal with it. Terry turned and gave the taller Italian a jaundiced eye.

"I will do as you suggest, _Caro_," she said with a tinge of sarcasm, "Only because I consider you my physician." She turned to her sister, effectively dismissing the arrogant man. "Chris, would you bring me a couple of those muffins?"

"Sure," replied the younger girl, watching the confidence man turn with overt dignity and walk toward the kitchen.

When Actor was out of hearing, Craig looked at his sister with his hands on his hips. "Terry . . ." he said warningly.

Terry shook her head. "Not me, Brother. I'm just the flavor of the day with those two," she said. "You know Casino will pick a fight over anything. I just happen to be it this time. Actor thinks he's responsible for my well-being, probably thanks to you. And Casino is feeling guilty that I got hurt by something he did. Let them sort themselves out." She turned to her sister. "I'm going to visit Chief. Could you get us a couple of those muffins before they're gone and bring them up?"

"Sure," replied Chris. "Chief had two this morning, but he could probably eat a couple more." She turned to Craig. "Come on, Brother, before they _are_ all gone."

Terry walked slowly up the stairs while her siblings went to the kitchen. She shook her head and chuckled at the antics of the two men who had escorted her to the door. Now each thought it was his duty to look after her. Mother hens, that's what they were, mother hens.

She tapped on Chief's door and entered at his invitation to come in. The Indian grinned at her when she entered; the grin turning to a frown at her hobbling gait. Terry smiled back at him.

"What happened to you?" Chief asked.

"Casino blew me up," said Terry, determined to milk every bit she could get out of it to the safecracker's chagrin.

"You're kidding?" Chief stared at her.

"Nope," grinned Terry. "The explosive went off too soon."

"He hurt too?"

"No," assured the girl. "I was between him and it. It's nothing bad. Some cuts and scrapes." She cautiously sat of the edge of the bed. "How are you?"

"Not bad," said Chief dismissively about the wound. "I been tryin' to exercise it a little."

"Give it a couple more days before you start running around on it," advised Terry. She stood up. "I have to sneak back to my room," she said in a conspiratory tone. "My physician has ordered me to rest." She grinned. "Actor will be up in a bit to take a look at your dressing."

"Chris did a good job with it," Chief assured her.

"I figured she'd take good care of you."

Terry turned to hide the grin on her face and walked to the door. It afforded the Indian a look at the back of her head.

"Terry, your hair is full of dried blood."

"I know," she replied. "It got me there too. I'm going to take a shower before I go to bed. Actor stitched it. It's been almost twenty-four hours, it should be okay."

Chief watched her go, thinking the Warden should be really mad right now. He wouldn't want to be in Casino's shoes.

Terry went to her room and removed her clothes and the dressing on her leg. She went in and took a nice hot shower, carefully scrubbing the dried blood from her hair around the wound. Afterward, she put her nightgown and clean drawers on, wrapping her damp hair in a dry towel. Right on cue, a light knock sounded on her door.

"Come in, Actor," she said stifling a smile. She knew he would check on her after he saw to Chief.

Actor let himself into her room and stood observing her as she looked back at him, barefoot in her short sleeved flannel gown that came to just above her knees..

"I am concerned about the leg wound," he said. "Did you clean it well?"

"Of course," assured Terry. "Did you want to put another dressing on it?"

"Yes," replied the con man. "Lay down and I will get the aid kit."

Terry lay on her stomach on the bed, making sure her gown covered as much of her as she could, while Actor retrieved the aid kit from the bathroom. She put her head on crossed arms, eyes closed, feeling the edge of the bed sag under the man's weight as he sat beside her knee. She stifled a shiver of awareness of his masculinity as his big, gentle fingers probed her upper thigh around the wound, followed by a sprinkle of sulfa powder. This time he taped a gauze pad over it, instead of wrapping around her leg.

"It is a little red," Actor remarked.

"Creosote," acknowledged Terry in agreement.

"I will make up a warm pack to put on it to draw any infection."

Terry opened her eyes and looked back at him, rolling partially onto her side. "Actor, my leg is not going to fall off in the next couple hours. I just ran lots of hot water over it. You never sleep on these missions and I know you're exhausted. Go – to – bed. I promise I will put a hot pack on it when I wake up."

The Italian returned her look, none too pleased at the dismissal, though he knew she was right. With a sigh, he stood up.

Terry swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up to face him. She reached up and placed her hands on his shoulders. Standing on tiptoe, she stretched up to place a kiss on his whiskery cheek and drew her head back to look at him.

"Actor," she said with soft affection, taking in the tired eyes in the drawn face. The man was exhausted. "I do appreciate that you take such good care of me, but this can wait a little bit." She squeezed his shoulders. "Get some sleep, Caro."

He eyed her silently, mouth puckered and jaw moving in resignation, before he nodded in acceptance. "Good night, Cara," he said, even though it was mid-morning. The corner of his mouth tilted up at her smile.

He turned and left, pulling the door quietly shut behind him. He was partway down the hall when the thought came to him; cotton drawers. Though she had covered herself well, he had still gotten a glimpse of those cotton drawers. He shook his head in distaste.

Terry had barely gotten back into bed when Christine arrived. She had two muffins with her which she set on the night table beside Terry.

"You were entertaining a guest when I came up, so I took a couple to Chief first. Your guest came to check Chief's dressing. He doesn't figure I do a good enough job?" the younger girl asked indignantly.

"No," smiled Terry, reaching for a muffin. "He thinks the medical duties are his. He isn't satisfied until he follows up on things, even if I did it. He just redressed my leg." She bit into the muffin. "Hey, these are good."

"Thanks," replied Chris. "By the way, I made a stew with dumplings for dinner. I didn't know you had gotten yourself hurt, but I figured you would be tired and I wasn't doing anything."

"Thanks," said Terry. "You going to stick around?"

"I might," said Chris coyly.

"You and Chief get along okay?"

"Of course," replied the girl. "He's very polite."

"That all?" asked Terry teasingly.

"That's all," replied Christine firmly.

Terry grinned in amusement. She finished the muffin and slid down under the covers more. "I'm going to sleep. The house is all yours."

GGGGG

The household started waking up in time for supper. Chief and Terry limped into the dining room together. Goniff looked up and grinned.

"'Ey, look! Twins!"

Terry and Chief just exchanged looks and shook their heads. Actor gallantly held Terry's chair out for her. She thanked him with a smile and a nod, trying to ease her left leg into a position that wouldn't interfere with the Italian's long ones under the table.

Crystal came out and set bowls of steaming stew in front of everyone before taking a seat at a chair squeezed in between Terry and Chief. They all dug in with silent hunger.

Chief was the first to start. "This is good," he said quietly.

"Thank you," said Chris.

"These dumplings are like what me mum used to make," remarked Goniff.

"Why didn't you make this more often at home?" asked Craig, sopping some of the gravy with a piece of dumpling.

"I don't know," shrugged Chris. "It wasn't like we didn't have enough beef back then."

"Wasn't like we didn't have enough of everything back then," remarked Casino.

"It's hard to stretch everything now to make enough for all you growing men," joked Chris.

Actor had been watching Terry's face. There was just the tiniest bit of stillness to it. "Teresa does an excellent job of coming up with delicious meals from meager supplies," he remarked casually.

He didn't miss the flash of appreciative eyes that Terry darted to his face before returning to her bowl.

"Yeah, but it sure would be nice if there was more of it," Casino added.

"Well, look at it this way, Casino," said Terry. "No one can accuse you of being fat."

"That's for sure," he griped. "What I'd give for a big bowl of Ma's pasta."

Terry looked up at him challengingly, "You get your mama to send me some dried pasta and I will cook an Italian meal to fill you up."

Casino returned her look and pointed his fork at her. "Don't think I won't ask her."

"You get it, I'll make it," shot back the girl.

Chris joined in, "Well, by the time it gets here, we should have some vegetables. I put some seed and sets I found in London for the cool weather stuff this afternoon."

"Like what?" asked Craig.

"Lettuce, spinach, peas, broccoli, cabbage, onion sets and garlic," listed Chris.

Terry grinned brightly. "Good, garlic!"

"I ain't kissin' you, Babe," teased Casino.

"You better not be," warned Garrison, his voice severe, but secretly getting a kick out of worrying the safe cracker.

"Aw come on, Warden," griped Casino with a gleam in his eyes. "Can't she spread the wealth a little bit? I mean, you let her kiss Beautiful all the time."

"Casino," growled the Italian warningly.

Terry reached a hand under the table and patted the con man's knee. "That's because with Actor it's business. And with you it's monkey business."

"That's why he's called a gorilla, Love," piped up Goniff.

Laughter erupted at the table, except for Actor. The con man was mulling the idea that Teresa thought kissing him was _business_. Even if it technically was, it was a bit of an affront.

"I have some news," said Garrison, semi getting back to business. "I spoke with Col. Hammond. We're down for a few days, so you guys can have another forty-eight hour pass to London. I'll take you in with me tomorrow morning when I go to debrief."

That announcement brought enthusiastic responses from Casino and Goniff. It pleased Actor also, thinking he could use a little energetic and appreciative recreation about now. Chief was the only quiet one.

"Uh, Warden," he broached cautiously. "You think I could stay here this time?"

"Sure Chief," replied Garrison. "Terry's staying here this time, so you won't be stuck with my cooking."

"That's a good thing," remarked Terry. "How come I don't get a forty-eight hour pass?"

"Because you don't need the type of recreation they do," said Craig straight-faced.

"How do you know?" shot back the girl. "I might want to go to a bar and pick up a man."

An indelicate snort erupted from Actor, earning him an indignant glare from Terry. Craig grinned broadly at his second. That had been better than anything he could have come out with in response to his sister.

After dinner, Goniff helped Chris with the dishes. Terry wandered out the back door to look at the garden. The rest of them went to the common room and Craig went to his office.

Casino sat at the game table and looked at the deck of cards in his hand. He set it down, unshuffled, and wandered back through the kitchen and out the back door. Terry was standing by the chicken pen when he approached.

"It's a very nice chicken pen," she remarked. "You did a wonderful job on it, Casino."

"Thanks."

The tone of his voice caused her to turn toward him.

Casino eyed her, "You gotta know I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"Of course I know that," said Terry. "We all know that." She looked at the downcast eyes. "I took it a little too far?"

He shrugged. "As long as you know."

Terry stepped closer and reached her left hand up to touch fingers lightly to his chin. She bent her head sideways and placed a light kiss on the opposite corner of his mouth. "I'm sorry."

He locked eyes with her, reaching both hands up to her frame her face and moved in to give her a thorough kiss. When he pulled back, she stared at him, speechless. "I told you, you ever get tired of Beautiful and want some real kissing, come to me, Babe."

Terry remained still, watching as he turned and strode away and into the house. Heavens! He could kiss too. Different from Actor, but definitely attention grabbing . . . and enjoyable. And that scared her. Actor was . . . safe? No, that man wasn't safe. There was a bond or something growing between her and the con man, but it was not something she could put her finger on or put a name to.

The back door opened and Chief stood on the threshold. "Hey, Warden wants to debrief!" he called to her.

"Okay," she called back. Pushing the mess to the back of her mind, she headed for the house.


	6. Chapter 6

Timing Part 6

The four men and one woman gathered around the conference table in Garrison's office. Goniff was sprawled back in his chair to Craig's left. Casino, next to him, had his chair tilted back on its hind legs and his legs crossed atop the corner of the table. Terry took the seat to her brother's right, with Actor sitting casually beside her, making a pipe. Garrison lit a cigarette and looked at the four.

"Okay, transport in?" he started.

"No problem," said Casino.

"Why can't we jump closer?" asked Goniff. "Me feet got tired walkin' that far."

"_Your_ feet got tired?" objected Casino, "What about mine. All I did was walk."

Craig looked at his two wayward charges. "Maybe you would like us to drop you down the chimney next time?" he suggested with a touch of sarcasm.

"Funny, Warden," shot back Casino. "Woulda been better if the Injun had been with us. We coulda both got a car."

"You could always teach me how to hotwire one," suggested Terry half joking.

Goniff chuckled. "That'd look real good, Love. A bird with 'er 'ead in the engine of a staff car."

Terry shrugged. "It was a thought."

"Speaking of car," said Garrison, pinning a stern look at his safecracker. "That Peugeot was a bit ostentatious."

"I liked it," piped up Terry.

"Wadda ya want I should do, Warden, walk all over France lookin' for the right set of wheels for her?"

"I would like something a little less easily identifiable," clarified Craig. He turned to his sister, "By the way, what exactly did happen to the colonel?"

"Somebody took him out," said Terry. "Not me."

"You're starting to talk like them," noted Garrison without pleasure.

"So are you," she shot back. "I don't know what happened. His car was hit by an empty transport truck. I still don't know if it was an accident or a hit. Whichever, it worked."

"Warden?" asked Actor. "Did Col. Hammond mention if the coordination of the four teams was successful?"

"I didn't get details, but it worked." Craig looked at the pickpocket next. "Any trouble with the communications lines, Goniff?"

"Not a bit, Warden," the blonde man grinned.

"I wish to make a suggestion, Lieutenant," said Actor. "I believe it would be safer if Casino was given all the parts he needs and be allowed to make his own timers instead of relying on unknown workers to build them."

"I hafta agree with him there, Warden," said Casino, uncharacteristically siding with the Italian. "I don't like relyin' on something I didn't make. And you saw why."

"I am just thankful it didn't go off when he set it, with us right on top of it," said Terry.

Craig stubbed his cigarette butt out in the ashtray. "I fully intend to have that looked into." He looked at Casino. "You are okay with the extra work of making your own timer?"

Casino looked back with righteous belligerence. "Unless I know who made it, and I trust 'em, damn right I am."

"Okay," acknowledged Craig. He scanned the group. "Anything else?" There was a unanimous shaking of heads. "Good, we leave for London at 0630."

GGGGG

Terry went upstairs and into Chief's room to check on him. She found him reclined, fully clothed on top of the bed, her sister sitting on the edge, facing him. They were playing cards. Both looked up at her entrance.

"I came up to check on you," said Terry with a smile. "I can see you're doing fine." She perched on the end of the bed and watched the card game.

A light knock sounded at the door and Actor stepped in. He looked at the three sitting on the bed.

"You want to play cards, Actor?" asked Chris.

"No, thank you," he replied. "I suppose you came to change the dressing again," he addressed Terry.

"No," she replied in confusion. "You did this morning."

"I assumed that would mean nothing to you," replied the con man in his normal arrogant tone. "I see Chief is doing well." He nodded to the three. "In that case, I bid you good night."

The three watched him turn and leave and exchanged looks.

"What was that about?" asked Chief.

"I don't know," sighed Terry, "but I better find out."

She got up and went out in the hall. Actor was just going into his room.

"Hey," called Terry.

She followed him into the bedroom, stopping to look up at his inscrutable expression as he faced her.

"What was that?" she asked. "Did I do something to annoy you? I thought we shared the medical duties? You did it this morning so I didn't need to do it again."

"We do," said the con man coolly. "I did and you didn't. You have not annoyed me."

Actually, he was a bit annoyed. He was still tired. He needed some female companionship . . . badly. And the offhand remark at the dinner table that kissing him was business had offended his ego. When he kissed a woman, even Teresa, it wasn't _business_. Normally, he would not have allowed it to bother him, but at the moment his tiredness, physical needs, and the knowledge he was more worried about her well-being that he should be, cut through his usual restraint. On an instinctual level, he knew the hall was clear, so he stepped forward, cupped the back of her head with his hand, bent his head and captured her lips with his.

Terry was stunned to say the least. This was the last thing she had expected from the man. The kiss was passionate and awakened a response in her. Tired herself and frustrated on several levels, she responded to the kiss, hands grasping either side of his waist. Actor pulled back and released her, satisfied he had gotten a response from the young woman.

Warily, Terry eyed him as he eyed her back. "And just what was that?" she asked.

Actor grinned crookedly without humor. "I believe you referred to it as business."

Terry stared at him. Anger slowly washed over her; anger at him for his vain ego and anger at herself for responding to him and wanting more. "I was joking with Casino."

Actor shrugged a shoulder elegantly. "It's of no consequence, Cara," he said off-handedly.

It was just the nudge she _didn__'__t _need. She stepped forward on tiptoe, caught the back of his neck in her left hand, pulling his head down and kissing him with the passion he had just displayed to her. Her other arm curled around him, hand gripping his shoulder. In response, one of his arms went around her waist, pulling her in tight and the other hand cupped her bottom.

GGG

Chris had been a little worried about the mood both Actor and her sister had been in. She left Chief for a minute and peeked into the hall. It was empty. Cautiously, and silently, she stepped down the hall. Actor's door was open and she glanced in, stopping and staring in shock. She quickly and just as silently backtracked and hurried back into Chief's room, shutting the door carefully and turning to lean against it, eyes wide and breathing rapid.

"Oh, my," she said in shock.

"What, they fighting?" asked Chief, wondering at her reaction.

"I'm not sure if that was fighting or what," the girl said.

Chief laughed, "What were they doin', kissin'?"

"I guess you could call it that," said Chris uncertainly, remembering the possessive way their hands were on each other. She flapped her hand next to her pink cheeks.

GGG

There was fire in this man. The thought pierced her consciousness along with the realization that she wanted him. The same realization pierced his mind and brought him back to some kind of sanity. Actor released her and stepped back. The two eyed each other with wary appraisal.

"You really need some time in London," said Terry in defensive anger.

"Oh and I intend to enjoy myself," he sneered at her, trying to cover his emotions.

"Good," shot the girl back at him.

Dio! He wanted her back in his arms. "Teresa, I suggest you leave now."

Terry glared at him, wanting the same thing. "Don't flatter yourself, Actor."

She turned on her heels and stalked out the door.

GGGGG

The next morning, after an early breakfast, made boisterous by the antics of Goniff and Casino, the four men left for London, three with grips. Terry spent her time in the garden and doing the usual household things she did for the men. She was happy to have peace and quiet in the mansion again and she hoped the forty-eight hour leave would cool down both the con man and safecracker. She hadn't been kissed so much in a long time. What was worse is she had enjoyed it . . . from both men. She would just have to be more restrained around both of them.

Craig returned early in the afternoon. Terry joined him in his office. She took two cigarettes from his pack, lit them both, and handed one to him. Instead of the chair, she hiked a hip on the corner of his desk which was one of Actor's favorite spots.

"How come you don't go on pass with them?" she asked. "Seems to me you could use some time off for good behavior."

Garrison shook his head. "I can't socialize with them. I have to maintain command and to do that I can't be their friend."

"Says who? West Point?" asked Terry blowing smoke toward the ceiling.

"Terry, they have to respect me as their superior officer." Inwardly, he wished he could join them sometimes.

"I think you have their respect already," observed his sister.

"Maybe, but I have to keep it," said Craig, leaning back in his chair. He frowned. "What's going on with you, Actor and Casino?"

"Nothing," replied the girl calmly. "They just need some time in London to blow off some energy. When they get back everything will be back to normal." I hope she thought to herself.

GGGGG

Actor returned from his forty-eight hour pass to London six hours early and with a package under his arm. He walked up from the drive after getting a lift from the train depot in Brandonshire, enjoying the spring air. Delightful memories of two wild nights put a bounce to his step. He did not stop in Garrison's office, but continued up the stairs. Terry and Crystal were in Terry's room changing the linen on the bed for the laundry when Actor tapped on the open door and entered.

"You're back early," noted Terry. "Elizabeth?" she teased.

Actor eyed her with a look that indicated he did not appreciate the reference. With a false smile, he taunted her, "No, actually it was Marilee this time."

"Oh, she wore you out," replied Terry knowingly, playing at his game.

"Hardly," replied Actor arrogantly. He handed the box to the older girl.

"What's this?" asked Terry in confusion.

"I bought you some necessary accessories for your ball gown," said Actor. He turned and left without a word, going back downstairs.

The two girls exchanged a dubious look. Terry sank onto the bed and laid the box between her and her sister.

"Who's Marilee?" asked Chris.

"One of his floozies," said Terry.

The younger girl looked at her dubiously, "I didn't think he had low taste in women.".

Terry paused. "As I was told by one of his ladyfriends, if it is female and reasonably pretty, it's his taste."

Cautiously, she removed the lid and opened the covering tissue paper, eyes widening in shock. Across from her, Chris stared and breathed a four letter word.

"Oh – my – God!" whispered Terry. "Is he out of his friggin' mind?"

The two girls gingerly picked up the silk panties that were on top. Terry looked at the tag. "How the hell does he know what size underpants I wear?" she squeeked. "Has he been going through my dresser drawers?"

Chris poked a finger though the contents of the box. "Stockings. Real silk stockings," she breathed.

There was a bit of lace with straps that the younger girl picked up and let dangle from her fingers by the straps. It was a bra, of sorts, all lace and cut wide on the front. Her eyes widened more.

Terry stared. "That is downright sinful," she said.

"I have learned the only time a man gives you silk stockings is when he wants something in return. This is worse. Just what does he want?" asked Chris.

"Whatever it is, he isn't going to get it," said Terry adamantly.

Her ire started to rise at the thought of the man's audacity to purchase inappropriate apparel for her. She snatched the bra from her sister, slammed it into the box and put the lid on. Grabbing the box up, she stormed partway down the stairs, while Chris remained at the top to watch the fireworks.

"Actor!" Terry spouted angrily.

The con man was standing nonchalantly in front of Garrison's office door. Craig, standing in the doorway, looked up in surprise at the tone of Terry's voice. He eyed the garment box curiously. Actor smiled benignly up at the livid woman, not moving away from Garrison thus purposely not affording Teresa the luxury of allowing her to express her full-blown anger .

"Yes?" he said conversationally.

"How dare you!" burst out Terry.

"I told you," said the Italian calmly. "They are accessories you need when we are working a con."

Terry opened the lid and looked down at the wispy lace bra that would barely cover her nipples, not that it mattered because the material left nothing to the imagination. She slapped the lid shut, cheek turning a becoming shade of pink.

"What is it?" asked Craig suspiciously.

"Stockings," shot back Terry. "_Silk_ stockings."

She wasn't about to show Craig the unmentionables that Actor had picked out for her. He eyed the size of the box and wondered just how many pair of silk stockings the con man had bought. Terry looked at the Italian in frustration. He was smiling in amusement at her embarrassment, which only succeeded in making her more frustrated.

"Actor . . .you . . . uh . . .ewwwww!"

"Just say thank you, Teresa and enjoy them," said Actor.

"Thank you," said Terry through gritted teeth. "And don't do it again."

Actor looked at her with raised eyebrows. "If you do not wish me to buy necessities for you, then buy them yourself from now on," he said.

Terry turned and stormed up the stairs.

"Odd," remarked Actor to Garrison, amused the brother did not know the contents of the box. "Women are generally quite pleased to receive hosiery from a man."

Craig eyed the con man thinking there was more to this than there seemed. "You really should not be buying her lingerie," warned the officer.

"I do not believe she has more than one pair of silk hosiery," said the con man with casual observation. "It would not do for her to have to go to a ball with a line drawn up the back of her leg with eyebrow pencil. She seems averse to buying anything decent."

"I don't think she's all that used to fancy dress," said Craig in way of explanation. "She went to the military parties in Washington with Dad, but I don't think they were anywhere near as formal as they used to be, or as formal as the German ones you two have been going to."

Craig turned and went into his office. He still wasn't used to the idea of Actor buying clothing for Terry, but could see the confidence man's point.

Terry strode past her sister and into her room. Christine followed with a grin on her face.

"That was telling him off, Sister," the younger girl said.

Terry slapped the box on the bed, the lid bouncing off to display the contents. Terry stared at it. "Shut the door and lock it," she told Chris.

The younger girl did as told and eyed her sister. "What are you going to do?"

"Try them on. What do you think?" said Terry.

Her clothes flew off of her, landing in disarray on the bed, and she slowed to carefully put on the panties, bra, garter belt, and a pair of the stockings. Turning she faced Christine and watched the girl's reaction. Crystal's eyebrows rose and her eyes widened.

"If you don't want them, I'll take them," said the girl in envy.

"Not in this lifetime, Sister," said Terry.

"Those are positively indecent," said Chris with admiration. They left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

"Maybe," said Terry with a Cheshire cat smile, "but they feel so good . . ."

It was three days later, that Actor and Terry happened to find themselves alone in the upstairs common room. Actor approached the girl and smiled nonchalantly down at her.

"Now, Teresa," he started, "are those garments I gave you not more enjoyable to wear than what you have been wearing?"

Terry smiled serenely up at him. "I wouldn't know. I'm not wearing them. They really are impractical. I would appreciate it if you would not buy me underwear."

"I did not buy _underwear _for you, I bought lingerie for you." The woman was impossible. She wasn't even wearing them? Of course they were not for everyday, but any other woman would have worn them at least once and expressed her appreciation of the gift. He didn't know why he had ever thought he could teach her sophistication. Actor wasn't about to admit even to himself he was miffed because she was rejecting his gift which in his mind was the same as rejecting him. His kisses were business and his gifts were impractical. To his recollection, Teresa was the first woman to apparently not find him attractive or desirable. Even as he thought this, he wondered why it bothered him.

In Terry's mind it was reversed. The con man had bought her those disgustingly indecent, wonderful, underthings because he did not find her feminine enough for him. Granted, she was no Elizabeth, but she sure wouldn't lower herself to the level of Marilee. That he found that tart desirable did not raise him in her esteem. She could not admit to herself that Actor's apparent rejection of her was painful. Instead, Terry smiled up at the man.

"From now on," she said, "don't waste your money buying clothing for me. I am quite capable of buying it myself if I feel I am in need of something new."

He smiled just as benignly back at her. "Have no fear, Teresa. I have no intention of wasting any more money."

He turned on his heel and walked away. Terry just stood there and watched him leave, wondering why she felt she was in the wrong when he was the one being inappropriate. With a shake of her head, she went back to picking up the common room.


End file.
